Time Heals
by lady pearl2005
Summary: See first chapter please and thank you :)
1. Chapter 1

Time Heals

DBZ Fan fiction

(Bulma/Vegeta, Goku/ChiChi, Krillin/18)

AU/ Frieza's dead by Vegeta's hand and Planet Vegeta wasn't blown up. Goku was still sent to Earth as a baby but for a different reason. Starts out sad but gets better as you read but it will make much more sense as the story goes along. One thing that I wanted to point out that the reason they didn't use the dragon balls will be revealed in the coming chapters.

* * *

 _They say that time heals all wounds but what if the wounds were too deep to heal within the place you called home for all of your life. This is a tale of love the emerged from tragedy and the reuniting of a family that had lost all hope of being together again. Now let us begin with the tragic beginning to this tale._

West City Memorial on a gloomy rain filled day is where this story begins. There are no happy faces nor are there cheers heard by all who have attended this solemn occasion. For pain and sorrow are the only thing that any feels at the moment but none more than the orphaned Bulma Briefs. The words of the preacher are blocked out as she can only look at the caskets that hold both her parents who were taken away from her by an unknown force that not even the mighty Shenlong could fix. And while she was surrounded by her friends, she felt numb to everything. Well almost everything, for Bulma felt the gentle hand of the person who has been like a brother to her for so many years place a gentle hand on her back and pull her to shield her from the sorrow that surrounded her.

"It's going to be ok Bulma; you know we're all here for you." And true to his word the Z fighters were all there, even Piccolo who had put aside his hate of Goku came. It made Bulma feel somewhat better but in reality she was never going to be the same. Even with the warmth and love of her friends, Bulma still felt cold and empty inside. For nothing could replace the warmth and love she felt from her dear parents.

"And so Heavenly father we commend these souls to thy heavenly hand and pray that you find mercy upon their souls. And may you watch over the loved ones that are here today and guide them on the journey in life." As the preacher finished Bulma and the others watched as both her parents were lowered into the ground below and Bulma couldn't hold back the flood of tears that were held back and broke down. As Bulma fell to her knees she felt herself being held by both Goku and Chichi as she let her anguish flow from her. Goku for the life of him did his best to hold onto the girl who's been like a sister to him for so many years as she broke down and not go after her so called Aunt and Uncle who had the audacity to show up looking like they cared. It was a well known fact that that Larry and Flow Briefs weren't on the best of terms with Bulma's parents when they were alive and were told to never come near their family again so the main reason why they were there had to have been what was left in the will that would be read tomorrow. But that was another problem he could deal with later right now Goku was more concerned about Bulma now that her parents were gone she was all alone. Goku then turned to see his wife consoling Bulma the best she could.

"Bulma it will be alright, you're going to be okay honey. If you want to stay with us you know you're always welcomed." Chichi felt Bulma shake a little and decided that it was time to get her inside and out of this rain before she got sick.

Once inside Capsule Corp, Goku and the other made sure that Bulma was put to bed since she had turned deathly pale on the way from the cemetery. But what worried them more was how silent Bulma was the entire trip.

"Bulma's finally asleep and thank goodness her color started to return." Chichi then sat down next to her husband while he along with the others tried to figure out what they could do for Bulma.

"Goku what are we gonna do, I mean Bulma's all alone and her staying in this big house by herself is out of the question. I mean this place just feels empty without her parents here." Krillin then began to pet Dr. Brief's cat who had taken residence on his lap since his former master's demise.

"Krillin does have a point Goku, I mean besides the animals here Bulma has no one and to be frank I don't like the idea of her so called aunt and uncle staying here with her. There's something about those two that doesn't seem right." Tien saw Goku tense at the mention of Bulma's aunt and uncle and knew he felt the same.

"I have to agree with Tien, there's something off about them that makes my stomach churn and it's still churning or it could be that burrito that I had three days ago coming back to haunt me." Yamcha then rubbed his stomach hoping to settle his aching belly somewhat.

"I warned you about that place Yamcha now maybe you'll listen next time." Puar floated above his head as she glared at him the best she could.

"Beside's Puar being right there's that matter that Bulma can't stay here or at least not by herself. The girl has just lost both her parents and that alone could cause her to do something drastic. People tend to do dangerous and foolish things when tragedy strikes and the last thing we need is for Bulma to do something crazy." Master Roshi spoke to remind everyone that there was a girl down the hall grieving and knew that if something wasn't done they might lose her too.

"But we really can't do anything about it until we hear from the lawyer tomorrow and I'm not looking forward to that or being in the same room as the other problem." Everyone agreed with Goku and knew that they couldn't do a thing until tomorrow.

"True but for now let's sleep, we'll know in the morning but remember no matter what Bulma's well being comes first. Good night everyone," Master Roshi then went to one of the spare rooms that he used along with the others and decided that sleep was a good idea.

"Goku I'm going to call and check on Gohan and see how he's doing." Chichi then turned to the phone in the hallway and dialed a familiar number. Since Gohan was so young Goku and Chichi decided to keep Gohan home and explain everything once they got home to the best of their abilities. Which was going to be a challenge for both parents since the subject of death was something that no parent wishes to tell a child so young regardless of how smart they are.

 _Son residence_

* _Ring-Ring-Ring_ *

" _Hello Son Residence_?"

" _Hi daddy_ "

" _Hello Chichi I was wondering when you call. I take it you and Goku are staying the night huh?_ "

" _Yeah, I'm just calling to check up on Gohan. Is everything alright?_ "

" _Everything is fine honey, Gohan's having a bit of trouble with one of his writing assignments but other than that he's okay. He's asking about Bulma too, I think he senses that something has happened to her. He's worried sweetie and so am I._ "

" _I know daddy, but how do you explain death to a child Gohan's age without scaring him for life. That's one of the main reasons that Goku and I didn't bring him to the funeral._ "

" _I know but you guys are going to have to have this conversation with him one of these days and I hope it's not soon. I want my grandson to keep his innocence a little longer. Another thing, Gohan's wondering when he and Goku are going to pick his training again? With what happened it kind of confused him._ "

" _I'll talk to Goku in the morning about that after the reading of the will. Something tells me that Bulma is going to need all the support she can get. But what did you guys eat tonight, no junk food I hope?_ "

" _Don't worry sweetie we had fresh caught grilled fish, roasted potatoes and carrots with a tall glass of milk to wash it all down. Give your dad some credit; he knows how to cook for his own grandson. Your mother taught me a thing or two before she passed, rest her soul and made sure I knew how to feed children or did you forget the strawberry cupcakes I made for you on your birthday?_ "

" _No daddy I didn't but I just worry that's all. Is Gohan still awake or is he sleeping?_ "

" _Out like a light after his bath and no trouble from him what so ever, like the good boy,_ "

" _Thank you daddy, tell Gohan Goku and I will be home tomorrow and that we love him. Goodnight daddy,_ "

" _Good night sweetie_ "

Chichi then hung up the phone and was about to head back in her room but decided to check on Bulma.

Once in Bulma's room she noticed the dried tear stains on her face and knew she was crying in her sleep. After wiping her face Chichi pulled the blanket up further upon her friend so she wouldn't get cold.

Once done Chichi turned to leave the room closing the door quietly behind her. After she left and returned to her room she saw her husband sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands and sat next to him as he thought. Chichi sighed in relief as she felt her Goku take her hand in his while he thought. But no matter what Goku thought, he couldn't think of anything to help his friend. Not even the dragonballs could help them even if they did find all seven. Since it was a natural death they couldn't be wished back. This was one battle that he was not going to win it seems.

 _*Next morning*_

The sun seemed to shine upon West City as if to ensure that today was going to be a better day and after yesterday, that was all Goku and the others could pray for.

Everyone woke up early hoping to get a fresh start on the day and to be there for Bulma should she need anything.

As the guys got dressed, Chichi decided to make breakfast for everyone hoping to make everyone feel better. Chichi was surprised to see Bulma come into the kitchen but was happy to see the color back in her face. Even if it was tear stained.

"Moring Bulma, how you holding up sweetie," Chichi held her arms out offering a hug to the poor girl which she gladly accepted.

"Fine Chichi not better but fine though. I keep thinking that it was all a bad dream and yesterday didn't happen but it did and now I'm alone. What am I going to do?" Bulma felt Chichi wrap her arms around her and held her for the longest time trying her best to assure her that she's not alone.

"I know that you can't change anything that has already happened but know that you have people who love you." Chichi then turned back to the food she was preparing but not before turning back to Bulma.

"Did you want to try and eat something sweetie, you really didn't eat much yesterday." Chichi was worried for her friend and prayed that she put something on her stomach.

"Well I am a little hungry. Maybe a little food will make me feel better. But I'll eat after I take a nice long shower." Bulma saw Chichi smile after hearing that she was going to try and put something on stomach so while Chichi went about cooking Bulma went back to her room to take a shower.

While walking to her room she went past the hanger where her father had built a space ship for him and his family to explore the universe. It was then that Bulma remembered the conversation she and her father had months before his death.

 _*Flashback begins*_

" _Dad are you serious about this plan of yours to collect plant specimens and soil samples from other planets, it seems kinda dangerous. Besides we wouldn't know if the planet was inhabited with friendly natives or not. Are you sure about this daddy?" Bulma felt her father place a hand on her shoulder to try and ease her troubled mind._

" _Bulma sweetheart don't worry about the negative and think about the positive. Besides I did say that one day I would take you and your mother on a trip to see the stars. So just consider this one of our big vacations that we have each year." Bulma just laughed along with her father and left the hanger to wash up before dinner._

" _But daddy I know you better than anyone, the real reason why you want to go is to get out of meeting with your doctor about your high blood pressure again or the fact that you haven't cut back on the cookies like he told you to the last time you paid him a visit?" Bulma saw her father turn his head the other direction and heard him mutter something about her being too smart for her own good._

" _Daddy you know you can't get out of that appointment any more than I can get out of going to my doctor each year."_

" _I know but why does he have to cut out the stuff that I love to eat. And is it my fault that my pastrami on rye taste so good along with your mother's chocolate chip cookies?" Dr. Briefs heard his daughter laugh before heading into the kitchen to see Bunny Briefs finish putting dinner on the table._

" _Wow mom what's the occasion for all this food, you know Goku and the guys aren't here this week so why did you make all this food?" Bulma was amazed that her mother made what would be considered a feast by her standards. There was a roast, potatoes, steamed vegetables, pasta, buttery rolls and if Bulma had to guess around thirteen desserts._

" _Sorry dear, I guess I went overboard with the cooking. I just felt so happy today I just felt like cooking and I couldn't stop myself. Silly me, but at least we'll have leftovers for the next few days. But enough about that, let's eat this good food before it gets cold."_

 _After that Bunny sat down and began to eat with her family, laughing talking and just having fun. All and all it was a good day one Bulma would never forget._

 _*flashback ends*_

After thinking about that wonderful memory Bulma decided that she was going to fulfill her father's wish of gathering plant and soil samples from other planets. She knew it meant a lot to him and had wanted to make a vacation out of it for all of them but now with him gone the ship was just sitting in the hanger gathering dust. Bulma knew what she needed to do even if it was a bad idea to her friends if they found out that is.

Meanwhile in the kitchen Chichi had just finished putting the food on the table and moved back a few feet and looked at the clock on the wall and gave her foolish husband two minutes to be up and at the table ready to eat.

"Now if I know my Goku it will take him two minutes tops to be up and in here at this table before anyone else and he should be here in three…two…and cue the hungry husband." Chichi smiled as she saw her foolish husband rush into the kitchen with a goofy smile on his face as he almost inhaled his food.

"Goku please remember to breathe honey," Chichi then went over to the coffee pot and poured a cup of coffee for Master Roshi who was behaving himself this morning. Of course Chichi had her hand next to a cleaver knife and Roshi didn't want to run the risk of having something chopped off by the deadly woman who had yet to have her morning coffee. Roshi was many things but not foolish enough to mess with a woman who hasn't had her morning coffee.

As everyone began to eat the food that wasn't being inhaled into Goku's mouth, one question remained in the air about what to do about Bulma.

"Now that everyone's had a good night's sleep I think continuing our talk from last night is a must. After the will reading we need to sit down and talk to that girl. Bulma smart, intelligent and above all else she's very emotional. And with what happened to her, it's bound to make her state of mind uneasy." As Master Roshi took a sip of his coffee he noticed the others nod in agreement.

"We know but we can't do anything until the hearing later this morning and hopefully Bulma gets more good news then bad." Krillin took a sip of his coffee before he had to quickly move his plate of pancakes from his loveable friend. Hey they were good friends but Krillin wanted to eat his own food.

"True, but let's not think about right now. Let's just try and cheer Bulma up and hope for the best." The others agreed and went about finishing their breakfast and preparing for whatever fate had in store for them today.

Meanwhile Bulma was stepping out of the shower and drying her hair when she realized that she would have to go to the reading of her parents will today. As much as she wanted to get that out of the way, Bulma just wasn't looking forward to seeing her estranged Aunt and Uncle. She really hadn't seen much of them in years. In fact the last time she ever saw them was when she turned ten and her father and mother surprised her with a trip to a tropical island and scuba diving lessons. It was not a pleasant day to say the least since her father and uncle were constantly going back and forth at each other with insults. Bulma had never seen her father so angry before in her whole life, it frightened her a bit but her mother assured her that everything was alright. And true to her word her father returned with a giant smile on his face and Bulma forgot about it but she couldn't shake the feeling she got when her uncle glared at her as he was leaving. That was one thing that she to this day never figured out.

"After today everything will be alright and so will I" Bulma then went about the task of getting ready of course she remembered that she needed to eat something before she left or else she really would make herself sick. That and she was really hungry.

"I guess this is what happens when you go without eating anything for a whole day. Hopefully Goku hasn't eaten all the food," Bulma then grabbed her stuff and went to find her friends.

To her surprise they were all waiting on her and were happy to see that she was looking a little better.

"Hey Bulma glad to see you're up and about today. How ya' holding up," Krillin and the others were somewhat relieved to see their friend eating again even if was bagel, banana and some juice as long as she was eating it was a good sign to them.

"Yeah I'm good, not ok but good. I'm sorry I worried you guys the other day." Bulma then took a sip of her juice before looking back at her friends.

"Hey don't be, we're all just glad that you're talking to us. After the funeral we got worried when you didn't say two words on the drive back here. It kinda freaked us out." Krillin along with the others were relieved when Bulma gave them a small smile and knew that Bulma was going to be fine as long as they stayed near her.

"I know but to be honest it might take a while to get back to my old self so all I ask of you, all of you is to have patience with me." Bulma knew her friends were going to go crazy when they found out she was leaving in secret to space but she had to do this on her own in a few days.

"Hey take as long as you need to Bulma, but enough chit chat we have to the law office in thirty minutes so finish your breakfast and let's get a move on people." Chichi then went over to Bulma and hugged her while she ordered everyone else to hurry and thanks to her they arrived with ten minutes to spare. This was a good thing since Chichi wanted to call home and check on Gohan and her father before talking to said lawyer and finding out the fate of their dear friend.

 _*Ten minutes later*_

A man opened the door of the office and greeted Bulma and her friends with a warm smile and sad eyes; for he too was grieving over the loss of his dear friend.

"Ah Miss Briefs, right on time I see. I'm truly sorry for the loss of both your parents. In all my years on this Earth I've never met a more kind hearted and loving man like your father with the exception of Son Goku here. He was truly a great man and a dear friend of mine." The lawyer, Mr. Bamboo then escorted Bulma and her friends into his office on the other side away from Bulma's aunt and Uncle who somehow got there before they did. To say that the tension in the room was thick was an understatement. Goku literally took it upon himself to sit as close to Bulma as possible as if to protect her for whatever reason.

"Now that everyone is here let's get right down to the reading." Mr. Bamboo then pulled out a folder with the will and began reading. As he began reading Bulma noticed something off about her Aunt and Uncle. For some odd reason she couldn't shake this sense of dread as she looked at them and took Chichi's hand for whatever strength she could offer. Bulma was brought out of her thoughts when she heard Mr. Bamboo choke back a sob that rose in his throat as he continued to read the will.

"…and if my loyal and trusted friend Ralph Bamboo is reading this and both Bunny and myself are no longer upon this Earth then my wife and I leave these gifts to the ones we love the most. To my dear friend Ralph who's one dream was to give his ailing daughter a fighting chance I give to you the knowledge that her hospital bills and treatments will be paid for along with any child that suffers from similar diseases or any disease, my wife and I have started up the 'Shooting Star' foundation at every hospital on Earth so her along with other children will have a chance at life. To my daughters' loving and protective friends, words cannot express how much your friendship with my one and only daughter means to not just me but to her. Had it not been for all of you she would not be the wonderful person she is today even if she is a little on the stubborn side, to all of you I leave a lump sum of 20 million zeni for all of you. To Bulma my wonderful and beautiful daughter, the day you were born your mother and I knew you were smarter than the average baby, heck by the time you turned two you were reading at a fourth grade level. I know that your ideas and future inventions will continue to inspire and send this company and the world into a better future which is why your mother and I leave all of our assets, worldly possessions, wealth, business and welfare to you my daughter. And to my brother I leave this world knowing that you will never use my company for your own twisted pleasures but we are still family so to you I leave 20 million zeni to you and your wife. And in closing I leave this sealed envelope to my daughter with instructions for her to open within the period of five days."

Once Mr. Bamboo was finished speaking Bulma's aunt and uncle were in an uproar arguing about the injustice of it all and how could they do something like this, but that entire fell on deaf ears as Bulma didn't hear any of it. Heck she didn't notice when security came in to escort her aunt and uncle out of the room. Bulma was stunned silent at the thought of her father putting that much trust in her to run the company when she was just learning how run it a few months ago. To say that she was scared was an understatement. Bulma really felt lost at what to do. True she was happy that her Uncle and Aunt didn't get the company but she was scared that she would screw up worse than her uncle probably would. But Bulma knew her father had a reason for everything he did. And Bulma had to believe that she could do this but she had to take care of a few things first.

Everything was a blur after that; Bulma didn't even know that her and her friends left the building until she was once again back home in her room laying down on her bed. It was then that she realized that everything was up to her. She wouldn't have her mom and dad there to guide her physically but spiritually they would always be there for her.

"I guess this is a new chapter in my life. Starting tomorrow I'll have to call a few people that my father trusted more than anything. If I'm going to do this and run the company I'm going to need some help. But first I need to check that blasted ship." Bulma then got up and went down to her lab to work on a few things. Her friends had long since gone to bed had no idea of what was going to happen.

* _The next morning_ *

The sun was shining down on the people of West City once again as a new day began. Everyone was out and about doing this and that but none more than Goku and his friends. For after the reading of the will Goku and the other agreed that Bulma needed to get away from her house for a few days and to make sure she doesn't do anything crazy.

"Are you sure she'll go for this Goku, I mean Bulma's still not herself so I don't think a camping trip is the thing she needs right now. Being surrounded by us yes, camping trip no." Krillin knew his friend was concerned about Bulma's wellbeing but knew that they really needed to get her out of that house.

"I know it doesn't sound like a good idea but it would take her mind off of things before she has to take over the company. Also I just want to make sure that she's not planning anything crazy. Remember what happened when she broke up with Yamcha she bought herself a plane ticket and left for Vegas." Goku heard his friends groan at that memory.

"Yeah but luckily she never made it to Vegas since the plane had a malfunction not to mention the flight was canceled due to weather. But here's the one thing I couldn't figure out; of all the places she could have gone to why did she chose Vegas?" Krillin looked to his friend hoping for an answer but remembered this was his friend he was talking to.

"I don't know but let's just shot this idea by Bulma and see what she says first. Hopefully she says yes." Both Krillin and Goku then made their way to Bulma's and was surprised when they opened the door and found Bulma talking to two people; one was her father's accountant and the other was a young man that they never saw before. He was young around his early twenties with long lavender hair and blue calculating eyes that made Goku and Krillin suspicious.

"Hey Bulma what's going on here? Why are these two here and who is this guy?" Krillin and Goku stepped close to Bulma not trusting this person for fear that he might be working secretly for her aunt and uncle.

"Oh hey guys I was going to call you later but since you guys are here; allow me to introduce my new assistant Mr. Mirai since Mrs. Cocoa is retiring by the end of the week. He's going to help me keep this company a float while Cindy here keeps track of finances and what not. You guys do remember Cindy right?" Bulma saw her accountant smile and wave along with Goku and Krillin and knew that they remembered her. I mean who could forget a woman who made twelve pound cakes for Christmas and not ask for anything in return. That type of woman is hard to forget.

"Ok so back to you wanting to call us, what did you need Bulma is everything alright?" Goku began to worry that something was wrong but was relieved when he saw Bulma smile and heard her giggle a little.

"Everything is fine guys I was just wondering if you guys wanted to take some pictures. I was going through some of mom's photo albums and I realized I don't have current pictures of any of you guys. So I was wondering if you all wanted to get together later to take some pictures and have a cook out you know just have some fun." Goku was relieved to hear that along with Krillin. They had feared that their friend was about to do something crazy and harm herself but getting together for a cook out sounded like a good idea. And hey who was Goku to turn down food.

"Sure that sounds like a great idea Bulma. Chichi has been meaning to update the family photos anyway and Gohan's been dying to see you as well. After what happened months ago he's been dying to see you again. It sounds like a great idea." Goku had the biggest grin on his face as he turned to his friend who also had a grin on his face.

"Yeah I can call Roshi and see if he can get Turtle and Oolong to come and I'll see if I can get a hold of Tien and Chiaotzu as well. Getting a hold of Yamcha and Puar shouldn't be that hard since his team is practicing in the city. So what do you say we meet back here in an hour Bulma?" Goku and Krillin saw Bulma smile and nod her head.

"That sounds like a great idea. I'll have the grill going by the time you guys get back and the camera ready for all of you. Just promise me that Roshi will be on his best behavior ok?" Bulma heard both Krillin and Goku laugh as they left to go get the others and knew full well how Master Roshi would behave.

Once the guys were out of sight Bulma turned back to her accountant and new assistant with a sad smile on her face.

"You're really not going to tell them about this trip you're taking are you? You do realize that they're going to flip when they find you gone in a few days."

"I know Cindy but I have to do this. This is one of my father's last wishes besides what's in that envelope and I want to see this through. Besides people grieve differently this will just be my way of grieving for them. I have to prove to myself that I can go on this trip and run this company without them. It's going to be hard but I know I can do this." Bulma then began to walk back to the space craft to do a final check to make sure everything was in order.

"Now have the monitors been set up that I can communicate with the company and send and receive documents as well as communicate with my friends in case something happens while I'm gone?" Bulma checked the fuel gauges and the back generators while going over the list.

"Yes ma'am and your food supply is filled to capacity, the first aid kit is filled with anything and everything that you might need. The water supply is at one hundred percent and of course the snack cabinet is over flowing with every kind of healthy and junk snack food you can think. Also the containment chambers are prepared for any plant and soil samples as well as a few fire arms as a precaution of course. Other than that everything is in order. Now ma'am have you finished packing yet?" Mr. Mirai turned to Bulma after reading the check list before him hoping his employer was in fact ready.

"I just have two things to take care of. Now you have everything you need to keep the house in order; the list of all the animals and what to feed them as well as the guide to the plants in the house. Just try and keep it standing until I return and I promise to return even if I don't know when I'll return myself. But for now we have a party to prepare for. Cindy do you remember where I put my camera at this morning?" As both Bulma and Cindy left back in the house Mr. Mirai stayed outside a looked at the bright sun above him with a smile on his face before whispering to himself.

" _Oh you will and when that happens things will be set right once again_ " Mr. Mirai then went to go check on the ship for final preparations before returning to see Bulma smiling. For after tomorrow things were going to change for both the better and worse.

*To be Continued*


	2. Chapter 2

Time Heals (Chapter Two): A dark past, an uncertain present and a hopeful future

* * *

 _*Last time Bulma was trying to recover from the loss of both her parents but came to the realization that she had to carry out the wish of her late father so she planned to go into space without her friends knowledge however while she was planning her trip her Aunt and Uncle were planning something as well._

Deep in the beautiful and serene countryside of North City we find a not so beautiful couple grumbling about how unfair the world is as they make their way to meet someone who could help them.

"Are you sure about this dear? I mean that whack job has been trying to for years to perfect the ultimate killing machine just for the sake of revenge. What makes you think he'll help us out? In case you haven't noticed you just happened to be related to the person that had him thrown out of the scientific community for his inhumane and somewhat radical experiments." Said woman took a puff of the cigarette that she was smoking before turning to look at the man driving.

"Yes but remember my idiot brother is dead and the only person we have to worry about is his brat right now and for all we know she's still grieving. Also I have a funny feeling that she's about to do something foolish anyway. Besides he'll help us with this I mean who do you think funded the creation of his new lab? The old fool will help us, he'll help us alright." As the couple continued their trek to visit said person; in West City we find Bulma and Cindy putting the final touches on the cook out/ get together to take pictures party that Bulma called for.

"Okay everything set up with the food Cindy?" Bulma came back out into her back yard with camera in tow to see that the grill was fired up and already cooking away some kabobs and steaks.

"Yes Bulma everything is set, the only thing we need now are your friends to get started taking these pictures," Cindy put the final bowl of dip in the center of the table and then turned to look to her right then her left.

"What it is Cindy, what are you looking for?"

"That new assistant of yours, Mr. Mirai he was just here a minute ago now he's gone. Did you see where he went to Bulma?" Cindy saw Bulma think for a few minutes before she then remembered where her new assistant was.

"Well actually he said he had to run an errand in town and would be back in a couple of hours. It sounded rather important. He said that we had nothing to worry about and he would be back in time for the party. Just have faith in him ok Cindy since he'll be a constant at Capsule Corp for a while. Now help me move this cooler." Bulma and Cindy then went about the task of putting the finishing touches on the party while Mr. Mirai was at the moment in an underground cave checking on the _errand_ that he told his boss about.

"So it seems that you've woken up" said man spoke to what appeared to be a young woman who was not happy with her current conditions. "So have you thought about what I told you yesterday or are you going to be stubborn and I have to knock you out again," and to prove his point he held up the remote that literally put her life in his hands.

"Why are you doing this? Like you said you could care less about me or what happened to me if I stayed there so why are you forcing me to change my ways. I could just kill you and be done with it but then I don't like the idea of you finding a way to make my life miserable from beyond the grave so why are you doing all of this. You said so yourself you didn't care so why give me a choice to change?" said woman had to back up a bit since said captor had gotten so close to her without her realizing and invading her personal space to the point she felt something that she hadn't felt since she was a little girl: fear.

"You really want to know the reason as to why I give a damn about what you do or whether or not you change your ways is so that someone important to me doesn't suffer. And you changing your ways in life are part of making certain they don't suffer anymore. Also I don't think you would have liked the idea of that old whack job making you kill a baby now would you? Maybe then you would become the monster that I told you about," Mirai saw said woman gasp in shock as she heard the last part that he said.

"Kill…kill a baby?" Said woman then remembered something dark from her past that she had hoped to never remember ever again. Even as the man in front of her continued to talk she heard none of it as she drifted off into a dark memory that she had hoped would remain forgotten.

 _*Flash Back*_

 _The sound of fighting could be heard from the safe hole that her and her brother had made for when the monster that they called their father came home in a drunken state like he had tonight and hid per their mother's wishes until he fell asleep or he left for the night once again. But that wasn't the case tonight. For some odd reason he came home furious for some reason and decided that he would take it out on their poor mother who had forbade them from coming out to help them. They knew they could hold their own but their father was still stronger than they were and held power that they hadn't achieved yet. Now here they were listening to their monster of a father beat their poor mother and they just sat there._

" _I'm scared" the little blonde girl did her best to silence her tears as her brother held her close to him._

" _I know I'm scared too but I'll protect you" Said boy held his sister tighter as the yelling increased in volume along with their mother's pleas._

 _Said boy then thought of an idea. One that would help keep their father from finding them he hoped. "Do you remember the hole in the back of the wall that leads to the forest?" the dark haired boy saw his sister nod before he continued. "Well we're going to use that hole to escape from here. Mother always talked about taking us away from here and live a happier peaceful life so let's leave now and take mother with us."_

" _But how are we going to get mother she-,"Said little girl never finished her sentence as both her and her brother heard the sound of a blood curdling scream that made their hearts beat at a frantic pace then silence. Nothing but deathly silence which sent said boy into panic mode._

" _We need to leave"_

" _What?"_

" _We need to leave and now before he finds us. I don't know why but we have to get out now. Something off with him tonight I and I can't sense mother anymore." Said boy's fears were confirmed when he and his sister heard the sound of their father tearing up the house looking for them. Without a second thought said boy then began to drag his sister near the hole in the wall in hopes of getting out before they're caught._

 _With panic in their hearts both squeezed through the hole in the wall and without looking back made a mad dash for the woods where they hoped a better life awaited them. But fate a taken a turn for the worse as both children made it to the mouth of the woods they meet with the monster in their nightmares: their father._

" _So you little brats thought you could run from me? Well I got some bad news for you brats you will never be able to run from me. I'll haunt you even in your dreams and after I'm long gone I'll still haunt you." Said man then stepped into the light of the moon and both children saw a horrifying sight. Their father covered head to toe in blood and their mother's blue ribbon in his hands._

" _W-w-what did you,"_

" _What did I do to that whore mother of yours boy? It's simple, I killed her and the brat she had in her." Both children looked at their father with shock and disbelief in their eyes._

" _Don't give me those eyes the brat wasn't mine anyway just like the two of you aren't even mine. And you want to know why, as it turns out your real daddy died protecting your mother from bandits that invaded the town they stayed in. The bastard was thought to be dead until two months ago he showed up and got reacquainted with your mother. End result of that union is that brat that was inside her. So not only did I end his life but I ended the life of your mother that bastard she was carrying and now I'm going to end you so I'll never have to see either one of you ever again." Said man then began to move towards the children but a beam a light flashed in the night and pieced said man in his heart stopping him in his tracks. Shock and anguish were ever present on his face. Said man had no idea that these kids had this type of power nor did he realize that they would be the end of him but which one did him in. That was the question as said man began to fall to the ground a few feet from both children until finally his body landed on the ground with a loud thud._

 _As the man lay there dying he along with the boy wondered where that blast came from. Upon further inspection of where the beam came from and said dark haired boy turned to see tear stained eyes wide with fright fear and shock as said girl had released a blast from her tiny hands at the monster before her. Said boy couldn't believe that his sister had done something like that and neither could his sister who was trying to figure out what she just did_

" _Sis, what did you just do?" Said boy went up to his still unresponsive sister trying to snap her out of whatever funk she was in but got nothing until the man who lay dying decided to snap her out of it with his last words and dark laugh._

" _Ha…ha…ha who would have thought that I'd be taken down by a kid and a little girl no less? But you two are no normal kids. Powers like yours aren't human. *cough* No power like that belong to monsters and that is what you are nothing but little monsters." Said man then began to choke on his own blood before drawing his last breath._

 _Said boy and girl just stood there not moving, afraid to move until said girl started to shake bringing her brother to turn his attention away from the dead body only a few feet away from them._

" _I...I…I'm not a monster, I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to" Said girl continued to mutter in a voice that was barely above a whisper the same thing over and over while her brother tried to snap her back to reality._

" _Sis come on snap out of it" Said boy then noticed that his sister was mumbling something that sounded like not and monster. The boy then dragged his sister into the forest to get away from what had befallen in a short amount of time and for the next few years lived in peace until another nightmare appeared in the form of an old man that they thought they could trust._

 _*flashback ends*_

Mr. Mirai began to notice that his guest was eerily quiet and turned to see silent tears run down her face while she held herself. He knew that what he said triggered something in her mind and there was no doubt of her changing her ways now.

"Judging by your silence and tears I take it you'll take my offer and build a better life for yourself, right? Because something tells me you don't want history repeating itself and don't look so surprise that I know about your past. That nut job that had you in that lab had quite the file on you and your brother. Unfortunately there's no saving him from what's about to happen. You however have a chance to change. Now do we have a deal Miss….?" Mr. Mirai held out his hand to the young woman who slapped it away and got up on her own before she dusted herself off and wiped away all traces of her misery and sorrow before telling him her name.

"Not that it's any of your business but seeing as you're not going to let me out of here without my name it's No. 18. I haven't had a real name since I was a little girl. Hell I don't even remember my real name or if I even had one. With all the shit that happened in my life I just forgot. When that ass of a doctor changed my brother and I for his sick and twisted vengeance, all we've had for names were numbers. So for now I'll just go by Juu. Now can I get out of here before I become claustrophobic? Being stuck in this small place for so long is making me anxious and freaking me out so can I go now?" 18 then was surprised when she was handed an envelope before he motioned her to follow him out the door to the underground cave.

"If you're wondering about the envelope listen and listen well because the next time I see you I hope you will have your life together. In this envelope are instructions that you are to follow to the tee. After you leave here you'll be free to go where ever you want but keep in mind I have eyes and ears everywhere so you screw up and I shut you down. Oh and another thing, don't think about using your powers to get what you want. You want to start stuff in this life you start out at the bottom which means you have to work for what you want. That means you get a job and keep it. No robbing, no threatening people to get what you want. I hear about anything like that you get shut down, do you understand?" Mr. Mirai turned to see No. 18 nod her head rather than verbally reply which suited him just fine. He had a feeling that he wasn't her favorite person right now but if he wanted to change things he had to have her complete cooperation and consequences be damn he get it whether she wanted to listen to him or not.

"Fine, just so we're clear I'm doing this to for my sake not yours. And trust me I'll be laying low for a while. The last thing I want is to have that screw ball doctor find me once again. I have a chance to get my life back so screw ups are not on list of things to do right now." With that 18 walked ahead of Mr. Mirai once they were out of the underground cave and hit the sky hoping to never see him or her previous captor again.

' _I have a chance to build a better life for myself and maybe I can forget this long forgotten nightmare that plagues me. And maybe I can finally find my own little happiness,'_ No. 18 flew faster into the sky away from the man that gave her a second chance. And as she flew further away a few tears began to fall but these weren't tears of sadness no these were tears of joy and relief

Meanwhile back on the ground Mr. Mirai was watching the figure slowly drift out of sight before he himself decided to head back to West City. "Well phase one is in motion, now if I'm right she'll find that crappy apartment building off the coast where the old man's island lies. From there fate will take course. Now how to figure out how to deal with that nut job Gero? He's not going to let go of his grudge against the late doctor or Goku anytime soon and chances are he's pissed off about the intrusion in his lab right now. And chances are he's looking for my ass this very moment since I broke into his lab. But luckily for me the old fool doesn't believe in security cameras or any security for that matter. But Gero is going to be a problem later on down the line. I just hope that all goes according to plan. Now I have just enough time to hit the bakery to get the cake and then on to the party." Then to the surprise of anyone that was in the area that might have seen him, Mr. Mirai took to the skies being mindful to keep his ki low to not draw attention to himself.

However unknown to him a certain green guardian was watching from the heavens and witness what was transpiring from high above in his look out. And sharing in his concern was his other not so friendly half who was wondering about the man that Goku had told him about not too long ago.

It would seem that this person was unfamiliar with the Guardian of the Earth and caused quite a bit of worry in the aging Namek while Piccolo was more concern about whether or not this man posed a threat to him or his young pupil Gohan. Over the little time they had spent together the child had grown on him and Piccolo had become rather protective of him.

"So it would seem that this man does have an agenda of some sorts. The question is why is he doing all of this and what is he trying to accomplish. Letting the woman free with certain limitations and rules is one thing but what is his true goal. Is he an ally or in truth a serpent waiting to strike." Kami began to ponder more about this young man that Bulma was willing to work with without a second thought. Piccolo on the other hand just grunted and took the skies heading for Capsule Corp. It's not that he didn't care but Goku was bringing his family to Bulma's little get together and he wanted to keep a close eye on Gohan. This man for some reason or another rubbed him the wrong way and he'd be damned (so to speak) if he did anything to Gohan.

*Back at Capsule Corp*

"Looks like everyone came to your party Bulma. Save for the mean green guy that could freeze ice by glaring at it" Cindy handed Bulma a drink while she began to look around the yard. To her surprise all of the Z fighters came dressed in their best. Even Roshi was behaving himself for once. But that was probably cause of whatever Chichi said to him on the ride over here but that was a question for another time.

"Oh don't worry he'll be here for sure Cindy; if not for me and the sake of the party, than he's probably most likely going to be here for Gohan's sake. He's so protective of that boy it's amazing. But for now let's enjoy ourselves before we start taking pictures. How's the meat coming along by the way?" Bulma smiled as Cindy held a plate of skewed meat in front of her while she turned to look at her guest.

"Well as you can see everything is going fine, save for your new assistant still not being here. How long does it take to get dessert anyway? What is he making the cake from scratch or something?" Bulma put a hand on Cindy's shoulder and gave her a smile while walking around the yard.

"Trust me he knows what he's doing. Besides I asked for a rather large cake too. So chances are he's probably in an argument with the baker right now to confirm that he's not out of his mind. Beside's I wanted him to have some time to himself before Monday morning rolls around and he's introduced to the jackals that worked with my father." Bulma then put her drink down on one of the tables and then began to finger the locket that her father got her for her birthday last year. Inside it held a picture of both her mother and father with a message on the back of the photo that said 'Our love shall forever be your shield'. It was a message that she would never forget. The thought of her deceased parents were starting to put a damper on her happy mood until she felt the hand of Goku on her shoulder.

"Hey you look like you could use a smile," Goku began to sense something was off with Bulma the minute she put her drink down and noticed the sad forlorn look in her eyes so he decided to cheer her up.

"Do you have a sixth sense for knowing when I'm upset or do you just want me to smile?" Bulma saw the man that has been like a brother to her for years put on the biggest grin she had ever seen which was rather contagious for she then put a smile on her face as well.

"Well it's a little of both, that and I wanted to see how you were holding up. It's only been a couple of days since the funeral and I wanted to see if you're doing alright." Goku was happy to see Bulma smile not knowing what she was about to do in a few days.

"I'm doing alright Goku. It still hurts that they're gone but I know that they'll watch over me for the rest of my life. But I have to move forward with my life and try to hold onto the values that they taught me over the years. Besides it gives me time to go over a few things that my father had started. Trying to finish those will be a challenge along with running the company but it's a challenge that I have to face head on." Bulma smiled as she looked around her with Goku and felt at peace as she watched everyone have a good time.

"It's good to hear that you're ok but you do realize that you can come to me or any of the others for anything. Besides Chichi and I will gladly welcome you into our home if you ever want to stay with us. I'm sure Gohan would love to have you and I think he would love to call you his big sister." Goku was thrilled to hear Bulma laugh and both walked around the party enjoying the festivities with the people that became like a second family to her and had a wonderful time.

As the party began go on no one noticed Mr. Mirai return until Goku noticed him along with the gigantic cake that was following him but Goku being Goku paid more attention to the cake than him and the party really started.

* _Three hours later*_

After many pictures, laughter and the occasional slapping of Master Roshi everyone began to leave for the night. As Bulma waved goodbye to Krillin and Yamcha who were taking Master Roshi home she noticed a slightly sleepy Gohan who tried to fight a losing battle with fatigue and was losing miserably. Bulma just giggled at how cute he looked at the moment and felt a warm smile on her face as said boy was picked up by his loving father.

"I'm happy you guys came and judging by how tired Gohan is I'd say everyone had a good time." Bulma moved a stray hair from Gohan's face as the boy slept in peaceful bliss. Chichi came to stand next to both her husband and Bulma as she finished putting her set of pictures that Bulma gave to her in her purse.

"We all had a wonderful time Bulma and thank you for the pictures. I can't believe how big and handsome my baby has become. Soon he'll be charming girls before I know it." Chichi pressed a kiss to her sleeping son's forehead while giving him a loving gaze that only a mother could give, "my sweet handsome little boy, try and stay small for your mama just a few more years. I don't think I'm ready to let you go just yet."

Both Bulma and Goku laughed upon hearing that but remembered the small boy within his father's arms so kept the laughter to a minimum.

"Thanks again for having us over Bulma. It's good to see that you're doing better." Goku made his way to the Hover Jet that his lovable father in-law had brought when they came to the party and handed his sleeping son to his grandfather and helped his wife aboard while stealing a kiss from the woman he loved so much before turning back to Bulma.

"You know you can come and spend the rest of the weekend with us if you want. You know have a little more fun before Monday morning rolls around and work sucks you into a dull void." Goku's heart filled with brotherly joy as he heard Bulma laugh upon his silly statement.

"It's tempting Goku but I still have a lot to do before Monday rolls around and I kinda want to go through some things so I'm going to be busy. But thanks for the offer though." Bulma gave her lifelong friend and unofficial brother a smile before she noticed the Ox-King wave their way.

"I think it's time to head home but please call us if you need anything and don't hesitate to come over if you feel lonely or you just want to hang out with us, you're always welcome at our home." Goku smiled before giving Bulma a hug before he went on the hover jet with the rest of his family but not without waving goodbye.

' _I know that Goku but what I'm about to do you'll probably yell my ear off for later when I come home, if I come home'_ Bulma waved bye to the Son family and watched as the hover jet took off back to Mount Pauoz . As soon as the hover jet was no longer in sight Bulma turned and went back inside her home to finish packing last minute items before her take-off.

However unknown to Bulma her friends began to have feeling that something was not right but just shook it off as negative thinking, all but one and he knew that the girl was up to something. Master Roshi may be a pervert but even he was wise enough to know when something was wrong in the air. This feeling was eating him up inside and he just couldn't figure out what it was.

"Hey what's eating you Roshi you barely touched your food we brought back from the party. And you've never been one to turn down cake especially ones with strawberries." Oolong had noticed that the old man was not himself in fact he had been silent since he came in the door. He had only really seen the old man like this once and that was a few months ago after the incident that spurred Goku to train Gohan to properly use his powers. After that incident Roshi began to be cautious about the people he considered family. Hey he may be a pervert but even he had a heart that longed for a family. The moment Goku and the others came into his life was the best thing that ever happened to him. Now with Bulma going through the process of grieving for her parents Roshi had become somewhat worried about what that girl did.

"I don't know Oolong maybe I'm just tired. I mean after all things have been hectic since the funeral. Maybe I just need to rest some. Just put my slice of cake and my plate in the fridge and I'll get to it in the morning. Right now I just feel like sleeping." Roshi then began to ascend the stairs of his small two-story home and went to bed leaving a very worried Oolong in his wake. That is until Oolong dug into his slice of cake making quick work of the tasty sugary treat by the TV so he could enjoy it while he finally finished the movie he was watching earlier before the party.

"Maybe Roshi right, maybe sleep is all he needs right now. But something is not right like something bad is about to happen." As Oolong continued to eat his cake and watch his movie he had no idea just how right he was about something being amiss in the world. At this very moment Bulma's aunt and Uncle were at this very moment about to unleash a monster that would change the fate of the world forever.

"So you're telling us that this little thing will bring about the end of the bitch niece of ours and allow us to get the company once and for all?" Said woman took a long drag of her cigarette before exhaling a huge cloud of smoke from within the lab.

"Yes but there's one small problem with my plan, it would seem that the final component that I need for my masterpiece has been stolen and without her my creation is incomplete." Said old man moved around the wreckage that was his lab ad began cursing under his breath.

"Still find it hard to believe that someone like you actually had a break-in since you assured us that no one knew of your whereabouts after you fled the city. So who did this and how does he know you? Because judging by the damage this person held a huge grudge against you. So here's the big question who did you tick off in the past Gero that would cause them to do this to you?" said woman then took another puff of her cigarette before turning back to both men.

"Well my dear woman I have no idea but when I do find the one responsible they will suffer a fate worse than death for this injustice." Gero then proceeded to walk to a giant glass cylinder filled with liquid and a small being.

"Just make sure that you send one of these things after our niece and for the love of money just make it look like an accident so this doesn't fall back on us. We want the company as bad as you want the head of the man that ruined your past army but we don't need the media on our asses thinking we had something to do with it." As Larry and Flow then began to head to the door of Gero's lab they failed to notice the shadowy figure deep in the back watching the whole thing.

"Did you get all that 13?" Gero heard a dark chuckle from behind him before said figure came out of the shadows.

"Indeed I did sir, and don't worry getting rid of her not gonna be a problem. But what are we going to do about this Goku person sir? From the data that you gathered on him and his friends he'll come to the bitches rescue should any evil befall his weird family and friends. A foul he may be but not when it comes to the safety of his loved ones." Android 13 then stood next to his creator as he looked over some more plans.

"That's what I'm hoping for 13. The fool will no doubt go after the girl to protect her and when that happens that's when he'll meet his end." Gero then proceeded to make some more changes to one of his other androids all the while unaware of the small eyes that were watching and listening to the whole conversation.

Imbedded in top of the stone ceiling was a small transmitter that relayed data from within the lab to another location. And said location is deep in a forest where our mysterious Mr. Mirai is staying.

"So the crack pot is still at it? Well hopefully I can inform Goku and the others of the looming danger before hand and change history for the better." Mr. Mirai then turns to an old photo of the people that he lost but loves dearly.

"I promise to make things for your sake and for the happiness of everyone." Mr. Mirai then turns of the light and heads to bed hoping that come Monday morning everything will go according to plan.

 _*Two Days later: Monday*_

The sun shone brightly over the world as the start of a new day began for all. And the same could be said for those in West City. And while the day promised for happiness it also promised surprise and shock. For a few hundred miles away from West City on a small island we find Master Roshi and Oolong enjoying breakfast. Well Oolong was enjoying breakfast, for some unknown reason Master Roshi couldn't shake the feeling that something was off like something was amiss.

"Hey Roshi what's eating ya? You barely touched your food." For the past few minutes Oolong noticed how silent and it was starting to worry him. Oolong never in the longest that he's known Roshi to ever turn down pancakes.

"I don't know Oolong. I thought that a good night's sleep and rest over the weekend was all I needed but this feeling still won't go away. It's almost as if something is going to happen today. But the strange thing is I've felt this way before. It happened around the time Yamcha and Bulma broke up for good. It's weird Oolong this feeling wasn't as strong that time but now it's as if something….Oolong get Goku on the line now!" Roshi hopped up from the table so fast Roshi was almost sending it and the food to the floor. A shocked Oolong stared in surprise at the old man thinking he lost his mind.

"Why do you want me to call Goku all of a sudden ya crazy old goat! It's not like the worlds ending or in danger again," Oolong sat for a minute trying to steady his beating heart. Oolong just thought that Roshi was just losing his mind but what he heard next proved him wrong.

"No the worlds not ending but Bulma's about to do something stupid and it involves that stupid space ship that her father built months before his passing. If I know Bulma she intends to use that thing to go into space and she could be taking off any minute now! Get Goku on the line and fast!" No sooner had Roshi said that Oolong was dialing a familiar number hoping for once that Goku would pick up on the first ring.

 _*_ **Son Residence***

 _ ***Ring-Ring-Ring***_

" _Hello Son Residence,"_

" _ **ChiChi thank God it's you! Is Goku around we have an emergency and we need him!"**_

" _Well he's out back with Krillin, that Piccolo person and Gohan right now training with him but what's wrong?"_ ChiChi grew concerned when Oolong called with such a frightened tone. Was the Earth in danger or something or had something happened to Bulma.

" _ **Look I'll tell you later but right now Goku needs to head over to Capsule Corp and stop Bulma from doing something stupid. Roshi says she's planning to go into space with that damn spaceship her dad built months ago and…hello ChiChi you still there?"**_ Oolong received his answer when he heard ChiChi over the line yelling at Goku to stop Bulma and heard a rush of air meaning that Goku and Krillin had indeed taken off in hopes of stopping the young heiress from doing something stupid. A minute later ChiChi came back on the line.

" _Okay Oolong now what did Roshi mean by her going into space? I told Goku and he and Krillin are flying as fast as they can and hopefully they get there to stop this girl but what is this about?"_

As Oolong began to explain what Roshi told him, Goku and Krillin are in hot pursuit to Capsule Corp hoping with all their might to stop their foolish friend and make her listen to reason.

"I knew I should have brought her back with us after the will reading but I just thought she'd be fine if we gave her some space. I mean she seemed happy why would she do this Krillin?" Goku turned to his friend as he pondered the same thing.

"I don't know Goku but Bulma has always been full of surprises. But I wasn't expecting this! I mean why can't Bulma just take a trip to Paris, Rome or any other place that doesn't involve space like a normal grieving person instead of this?!" Krillin pondered and pondered the same thing as Goku did but for the life of them neither could figure out the answer. This was Bulma Brief they were talking about and it seems that unpredictable was her middle name.

"I don't know but let's just hope we get there before she takes off and hopefully we can talk some sense into her. Then we yell at her for this crazy idea and destroy that space ship but for now let's move!" Goku and Krillin then speed up in hopes that they make it in time unaware of the surprise that would be waiting for them once they arrived.

*At Capsule Corp*

"Everything is green on our end ma'am and readings show that everything is set to go on your end. All we need is your final say and you'll be launched into space." Cindy and Mr. Mirai were monitoring everything from inside the building and soon Bulma would be in space while they maintained everything here on Earth while relaying documents and whatnot to her. Unknown to Bulma or Cindy however Mr. Mirai had added an extra feature that was going to come in handy if he wanted his plan to succeed and according to his watch everything was about to fall into place. Save for the deadly menace that was heading his way courtesy of Gero but that he could deal with later.

"Now remember once you reach the first planet you'll be transmitting to the whole board of directors and whatever plant and soil sample data you have will be received here. Hopefully the soil samples you find can help in areas that have little to no water to improve the growth of not just the local plant life but crops as well." Mr. Mirai then looked to his watch and saw to fast approaching figures and knew that it was time to begin phase three of his plan. While Cindy was checking on some of the controls he went to release his surprise for Goku and Krillin hoping to stall them for the next few minutes.

Once out of the room Mr. Mirai made his way a special room where he left his surprise for Goku and Krillin. Once he opened the door he went to what appeared to be two very large canines but these were no ordinary canines. And upon seeing their master they both leapt to greet him all too happy to receive a scratch behind the ears from the person they love.

"Okay guys, now you both remember what I told you both. Just keep both Goku and Krillin away from here until the shuttle goes off, understand?" Mr. Mirai was pleased to hear both canines bark in understanding of their friend/master.

"Now just remember no killing now go and stall as long as you can." Mr. Mirai then opened the window and both canines leapt into the air and took to the skies which surprised several bystanders from below including several of the neighborhood cats who almost had a heart attack from said sight.

Meanwhile both Krillin and Goku were a few miles away from West City flying with all their might to stop the launch and prevent Bulma from doing something crazy. They were close to the city limits when a powerful blast from below stopped them.

"What the heck was that?" As both Krillin and Goku pondered that question their answer came in the form of two werewolf-like creatures flying their way. Well that's what it appeared to Goku and Krillin when in reality it was the two canine creatures that took on another form to fight off their master's targets.

"So I'm going to guess that blast came from one of you? Look we don't have time to deal with the two of you right now just MOVE!" Unfortunately for both Goku and Krillin said wolf monsters were having none of it and began fighting the both of them keeping in mind what their master said.

Meanwhile back at Capsule Corp Bulma was one minute from launching into space she began to think about a lot of things mostly her future which she knew was uncertain for her but she had to have faith that everything was going to work out. It might take some time for her to come home but she would return eventually. The big question going through her mind right now was when she was going to come back. True she had enough fuel to be in space for about a year or two but that depended on how far she traveled in space but she could worry about that later for she then heard the ten second count down begin.

" **Ten"**

' _This is it, I'm really doing this,'_

" **Nine"**

' _I can do this, I know I can do this,'_

" **Eight"**

' _I know Goku and the others are going to be mad at me for doing this but I have to do this. I promised that I would fulfill my father's final wish. I can't stop now even if it means I might never come home again.'_

" **Five"**

Meanwhile Goku and Krillin had managed to take the fighting a little closer to Capsule Corp and their worst fear was coming to light as they both heard the worst thing they could ever hear.

" **Two…One…BLAST OFF!"**

"No Goku were too late! OWW! YOU DAMN CRAZY MUTTS!" Krillin had turned his back on his canine foe only to have him sink his fangs into his shoulder and toss him in Goku's direction which in turn caused both men to fall to the Earth.

As both men gathered themselves they looked to the sky and saw that they were truly too late to stop their friend.

"Goku what are we going to do? Unless there's a spare ship we can't bring her back." Krillin began to stand and helped his friend to his feet but both had took a defensive stance as the canine warriors from before landed a few feet away and were baring their fangs readying themselves for another attack.

"Krillin before we can find another way to chase after Bulma let's deal with these guys first," Both Goku and Krillin took a defensive stance and were about to charge their canine opponents when a long whistle was heard stopping both canine warriors in their tracks. But that wasn't what surprised Son Goku; oh no what surprised him as well as Krillin was the fact that the warriors that they were fighting turned into giant wolf like dogs before their eyes and began to run towards where the whistle came from.

"Goku is that who I think it is?" Krillin just like Goku were beyond shocked to see Mr. Mirai, Bulma's new assistant come forward to pet and coddle both canines before coming towards both of them.

"Sorry about that but I had to stop you from keeping Bulma from heading into space and before you chew my head off I think I should explain a few things to not just you but to your friends. It would seem that I have a lot to explain. And I promise to explain everything to all of you. Just meet me on the hilltop five miles to the east and I'll tell you everything. Until then I have to see to certain matters at Capsule Corp." And just like that Mr. Mirai motioned for both canines to follow him but not before putting what looked to be collars around their necks along with leashes and walked back into the city leaving a slightly peeved Goku and Krillin behind.

"So what do you think Goku? If finding out what the hell is going on around here I'd say we head to the hilltop and hear what he has to say, then we break him in two." Krillin saw Goku take a deep breath before turning to head home to retrieve Piccolo. As much as he wanted to strangle Mr. Mirai for letting Bulma go, he had a funny feeling that something else was about to happen.

* _Twenty minutes later*_

As Goku, Krillin and Piccolo made their way to the hilltop they were surprised to see not just the canine terrors that they fought earlier but Mr. Mirai leaning against a rock but noticed he was in what looked to be regular casual clothes instead of the suit he was wearing earlier. However that didn't matter to Goku one bit, all that mattered was finding out if they could find Bulma and bring her home before she hurt herself or worse get killed.

"I'm surprised that you all made it here and Piccolo as well. My dad was right about all of you being the only ones that could help me and help protect Bulma." Mr. Mirai noticed the hard look he was receiving and knew that this was not going to be easy.

"Look I think you should just start with why you wanted to talk to us in the first place and why in heavens name did you not stop Bulma from going into space?!" Goku was trying his best not to lose his control and beat the guy into the ground this very moment. But of course what said person said next shocked Goku and the others greatly.

"If I did stop her then she wouldn't meet my father. Look I know I'm confusing you but let me explain but first let me apologize first to both you and Krillin about my wolves Zeus and Icarus. I kinda told them to stall you guys until Bulma got into space." At the mention of their names both wolf like creatures went to stand next to their master.

"Um…what do you mean?" Goku was now more confused about the whole situation but had a funny feeling that things were going to make sense shortly.

"Okay let me start at the beginning, my name is Trunks and this might be hard to believe but I'm not from this time period. I traveled from twenty years from the future to deliver a message to you guys in hope that to keep history from repeating itself." Trunks looked at the three warriors and saw that he now had their undivided attention so he continued.

"Like I said before Bulma going into space is important cause if she didn't she would have never met my father in this era and I wouldn't be born. You see Bulma is my mother and I came-,"

"BULMA"S YOU MOTHER!?" that news alone shocked both Goku and Krillin off their feet. But what surprised Trunks was the small bit of laughter that followed causing a small blush to appear on his face. It was then that Goku noticed the familiar blue eyes that belonged to one person alone and knew that he was indeed Bulma's kid.

"Man I can't believe it, Bulma having a kid. I mean she's always wanted a family but I never thought she'd go to space and start a family. Why couldn't she stay here and start a family?" Goku received his answer after he saw Trunks take a seat on a flat rock and take a deep breath and fingered the chain around his neck that held a worn pedant that looked familiar.

"Because she's still grieving and my dad is what she needs right now besides she's not in any danger right now. The first planet she lands on is inhabited by peaceful natives. From there she'll meet someone who'll help her. She won't meet with my dad for another two planets. My dad told me had she not stopped on that planet and met him, I wouldn't have been born. But besides that if my mother stayed here she would have been dead by the end of the week thanks to Dr. Gero," Trunks looked to see the shocked and surprised looks on both Goku and Krillin's faces at the mention of said whack job.

"He's still alive after all this time?! But what does Bulma have to do with him, what does he want with her?" Goku was frightened about what Gero could want with Bulma. Goku knew that Gero wanted revenge against him for taking out his whole robotic army but why go after her.

"Yes he's still alive and kicking and the reason he wants Bulma dead is because of her father, may he rest in peace, got him kicked out of the scientific community for some if not all of his inhumane experiments. The most recent involved the case of two people disappearing that lived around him for his research and work in organic robotic creatures. It was my grandfather that found out and got him expelled out of the science community and lost any if not all his standing as a scientist. Gero never got over that just like he never got over you defeating him all those years ago. In fact he has something else planned for you and your friends. As much as he hates my mother and her family he hates you even more. That's the second reason why I'm here." Trunks then stood before Goku and the other looked to him wondering what that reason could be.

"You see in three years from now on the morning of May 12th Gero will release a monster upon this planet that will destroy everything. As you know Gero was known back then for his robotic soldier army. Well these monsters are an updated version of those killing machines back then. He creates androids that are built to do one thing and one thing only and that is to kill you Goku. But before then you guys get a nasty visit from someone that wants revenge on you Goku, I believe he's the reason you started training Gohan. I hate to say this but Raditz comes back for round two against you and your friends and he doesn't come alone." Now Trunks had Piccolo's attention as well at the mention of the monster that nearly killed them the first time he showed up the first time and resulted in finding out about Gohan's immense dormant power

"But how could he, Piccolo and I made sure he was back on his ship after Gohan attacked him for the first time." Goku couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"That maybe true but once he made it home he began to recover and all he thought about was getting back at not just you but your son as well. What he has planned for your son is not pretty to say the least. Raditz wants revenge even if it means killing his own family to do so. You guys prevail but it left all you weak and unprepared for the monster of Gero." Trunks felt Zeus rub against his leg as if giving him the support that he needs as he gets to the part that he hates talking about.

"However none of us were prepared for the monster that Gero sent our way. Like I said the main reason I came back was for her sake and to prevent that monster android that Gero sent from killing her and destroying my family." Goku noticed how tense the young man had gotten at the mention of his mother's death.

"What do you mean?"

"I'll be born two years from now, and I was no more than three months when she was taken from me. It broke my heart because I never got to know her the way my father did and it broke my dad because he lost his other half before it was time. But what was worse was the fact that her location was revealed by who was supposed to be family. The one responsible for sending that monster was her own Aunt and Uncle but her Uncle dies before then but no one knows what happened to him. The police just thought he died in his sleep after years of neglecting his body's need for proper care but even they detected foul play on the part of his wife. But they could never prove it. There's something off about that woman and my father could see that she can't and couldn't be trusted. But for now she's the least of your worries. Since I came here I've been working on a plan to make sure that she gets what she deserves. But for now all I ask of you is to trust me and give me time to set things right so what happened in my time doesn't happen here." Trunks was surprised when he saw Goku and Krillin smile his way before walking up to him to put a hand on his shoulder.

"If it was anyone else I would find it hard to believe but I know you had your reasons for not telling us the truth before but what about your dad? Will we meet up with him anytime?" Goku saw Trunks shake his head before giving him a sad smile.

"In my time you guys met once and that was when he put my mother to rest next to my grandparents. He thought that she deserved to be laid to rest next to the people who brought her into this world. He also saw how close you guys were to my mother so he allowed you to stay and pay your respects to her. In a way my father was trying his best to be a better person regardless of his past and his outward demeanor. And when my mother died he tried to be a better person for my sake and her memory. I was all he had left of mom so he had to try really hard and I mean really hard. Of course that's not to say that he didn't try and my father in this time will try his hardest for her sake as well." Trunks then opened his wallet and looked at an old picture that was taken on the happiest day for both of his parents.

"But will she come back to Earth that's one of the big questions that we're wondering" Krillin was hoping along with Goku if their blue haired friend would come back.

"Oh don't worry she'll come back. Father once told me that the one thing she always wished was to bring me to see the beautiful blue world that she grew up on and to show me all of its beauty and wonder even if she had to drag my father to do so. But if I know my stubborn mother and my hard headed father you'll be meeting him and seeing Bulma again soon. All I ask is that when you do meet my father please have a lot of patience with him. He may seem like an arrogant egotistical full of himself piece of work and believe me when I say this he is, I'm not saying he's not any of those things but he's really a good person. Though I'm still trying to figure out what my mother saw in him but for what is worth she turned him into a better person even if he can still be a jerk at times but hey I've been living with him this long and haven't killed him yet so that has to say something right" Trunks laughed a little along with Goku and Krillin for a few minutes.

"Hey again sorry about what my pets did earlier but I needed a way to keep you guys busy but I have to get back before Cindy goes crazy trying to figure out where I've disappeared to once again."

"Hey no problem but you should have told us the truth in the first place we would have understood. But in truth if we were in your shoes we probably would have done the same thing. So how long are you going to stick around in this era anyway?"

"Just long enough to finish my plan and that should be another four or five months. By then hopefully everything should be fine but just be prepared for Raditz then the Gero's monsters." Trunks then turned to look at the setting sun and knew it was time to go.

"Look it's getting late and I think it be best if I headed back to Capsule Corp and help Cindy. In the meantime if there's anything you guys need do hesitate to ask. Before Bulma left she told us to tell you guys that you are welcomed in her home. She also wanted me to let you guys know that she set up a private video link for you guys in the den of her home so she can talk to you guys and let you guys know that she's safe and sound but for now just give her time." Trunks then turned and began to head back to town but then he remembered something else.

"Oh yeah before I forget I wanted to give this to you. In my time my mother had left these for you guys and the day I left my father gave them to me to give to you but he told me to let you guys know not to open these for three years. Don't know why but he said it was important and who am I to argue with my dad. Any way I gotta go. I'll see you guys around," Trunks then turned and began to head back to town but not before calling his wolves, "Zeus, Icarus come!" Then all three took to the sky and back to Capsule Corp.

Once out of sight Goku, Krillin and Piccolo began to wonder how to tell the others this news without revealing too much. But what they were also wondering was how to break the news that Bulma was in space before they could stop her. As Goku and Krillin began to ponder that Piccolo decided to voice his opinion before they were there all night long.

"Hey not that I enjoy standing here thinking about what to do but I think now would be a good time to head back. This way we can think about what happened today. So Goku how about we head back to your place and gather the others then tell them the news. More importantly Goku I think you and that wife of yours need to have a nice long talk about who or more importantly what you really are. This way we can come up with a plan of action and make plans for not only for the androids but for Raditz as well. I still have a bone to pick with him anyway." Goku just sighed and knew Piccolo was right.

"Krillin, Piccolo's right we better head home and let the others know what's going on. And something tells me this is going to be a long explanation." After that all three took to the skies in the opposite direction to head back to Mount Pauoz where they knew the others were waiting for them to return. As they were flying Goku said a silent prayer to whatever angel that was watching over Bulma to keep her safe and sound while she's on this journey of hers.

And for Goku his prayers will be answered as Bulma heads for the first planet to begin her research. Unaware of the impact Bulma will have in fate's plan.

*To Be Continue*


	3. Chapter 3

Time Heals (Chapter three)

 _Last time Bulma took off into space leaving behind her friends and her past pain behind her. AS Bulma was about to take off Goku and Krillin tried their best to stop the launch and keep Bulma on Earth only to be stopped by canines belonging to Bulma's new assistant. Upon further revelation both Goku and Krillin discovered that the one that in truth that Bulma's new assistant was in fact her son from the future. As it turns out he came back in time to prevent not just his mother's death but prevent the destruction of the entire planet. After that explanation Goku, Krillin and Piccolo decided to let the others know about what was to come. But first Goku has to have a talk with the woman who has held his heart for so many years. And to be honest he's not looking forward to this conversation._

* * *

As the sun began to set on the world we find Goku and Piccolo heading back to find Gohan and Chichi while Krillin left to find Tien and the others to explain what was going to happen. Of course first Goku had to explain a few things about his who he was or what he was. And to be honest Goku had been dreading this day since the night of their honeymoon when something weird came over him. But knew it was something that had to do with something deeper. And since the whole incident with Raditz Goku knew that this conversation was long overdue. Once his home was in sight Goku landed and slowly made his way to the door hoping that Gohan was asleep so he and Chichi could talk in private. Goku was grateful that Piccolo went to meditate until the others arrived. This gave him the privacy Goku needed to talk to his wife.

Once inside Goku was graced with the sight of his wife of pacing back and forth only to stop once the sound of the door opening caught her attention. Goku could see the anxious look in her eyes and knew Chichi wasn't going to like the answer he was going to give her about Bulma.

"Goku did you stop her? Is Bulma alright?" Chichi heard her Goku sigh before he motioned her to sit down next to him on the couch.

"Chichi I'm sorry to say that Krillin and I didn't make it in time. But there's a reason for that and I want the others to hear that when they get here as well as Gohan, because this is important and something we can't ignore. But first we need to talk about something. Chichi do you remember about when Gohan was taken by my brother Raditz?" Goku saw Chichi nod her head a little as Goku talked to her frightened about what he was going to tell her.

"Well Chichi; do you remember after we came home how I told you he had a tail just like I did when we were kids, well as it turns out he and I aren't human. And I'm actually something called a Saiyan," Goku saw his Chichi shake her head as if to stop the silliness that was coming out of her husbands' mouth.

" _stop"_

"I'm was born on a planet of some of the strongest fighters in the galaxy miles from earth and was sent here as a baby for what purpose I will never know,"

" _Stop"_

"Chichi I know that this is crazier than anything else that has happened to us but I'm trying to under-,"

" _STOP STOP STOP!"_ Chichi leapt off the couch and began to pace the room trying to block out what her husband was trying to tell her. But she was mindful of their sleeping son in his room.

"Chichi please listen to me, I'm trying to explain the best I can and I need you calm," Goku saw that his wife wasn't listening to him so he did the only thing he could think of before she had a full blown panic attack.

" _ **CHICHI PLEASE CALM YOURSELF AND LISTEN TO ME!"**_ That alone stopped Chichi in her tracks for she knew that her Goku seldom only used that weird mind thing that was formed between them only when she panics like this. The first time was when she found out she was pregnant with Gohan and Goku used it to help reassure her that she was okay. The second time was when she went into labor and the doctors were having some problems delivering the baby and it frightened Chichi greatly. Since then Goku hasn't used that mind thing in years so to hear him use it now after all this time frightened her, since Goku never raised his voice to her like that. But while it frightened Chichi a little, it did get her to calm down a little.

"Look Chichi I know you're scared, I can sense that you're also confused but I promise you everything is going to be alright." Goku saw his petite wife shake her head before he saw her shoulders shake and tremble. As much as Chichi tried to be strong, she just couldn't handle something like this. This was her Goku the man she fell in love with, the man she married. The man she's been living with for the past six years, the very loving father of the wonderful sleeping little boy that was doors away in his room this very moment that they created together. He wasn't some killing monster no this was her Goku. She couldn't picture her perfect world without Goku in it being the strong pillar of strength for her. Chichi was close to crumbling and Goku could see that.

Chichi was brought out of her thoughts when she felt the strong arms of her Goku embrace her hoping to banish her many fears. One thing about this mind reading thing that was between them it allowed Goku to read his wife's mind as well as sense her emotions and right now Goku was sensing great fear coming from his Chichi.

"Chichi I know you're scared, frightened that I'll leave but I'll never leave you. I made a promise to never leave you and I mean it. I love you, and I love Gohan as well. You both are my world. Nothing is going to tear me from you. I know finding out that I'm not human is a shock to you but hey it was a bigger shock to me too. Chichi I thought I was nothing but a human for most of my life and after Raditz came all that changed. There's a whole part of my life that I never knew about a part of me that wants to know more about what I am and I need answers Chichi, not just for myself but for our son too. I want to be able to answer the question as to who I am or what we truly are to Gohan. But know this Chichi, nothing and I mean nothing will change who I am. I was raised here and here is where I'll stay. My home is Earth where my family and friends are and I intend to stay." Goku was surprised to see his wife's face riddled with tears as she gazed up at her Goku happy to hear that he was never going to leave her.

"So you won't leave us and you'll stay here with me until the day we both die of old age?" Chichi saw her Goku nod his head before she felt his gentle lips kiss her forehead.

"I think part of our wedding vows stated 'until death do us part' but I doubt that even death could separate us Chichi, I love you and I'll never let you go." Goku felt his heart swell as he felt his wife tighten her hold on him as she cried tears of joy.

"So the mind reading thing, does this mean that you'll use it more often? You've only used it twice since we've been married and I'm a little curious as to what we can do with it. I mean I can use it too right?" Chichi's had rubbed Goku's neck where a similar mark laid where she had bitten him years ago and while she didn't fully understand what had transpired the night of their honeymoon Chichi knew deep down it was something important to her sweet Goku. Of course she was pretty much overwhelmed with other things to worry about a bite mark on either party's neck that night.

"Well sure but we'll work on that after we have a talk with the guys. And after that we need to have an important talk with Gohan. I think it's time we had a talk about why he was born with a tail and what he truly is. I have to tell Gohan what little I know about what we are but this is a conversation that has been long overdue. And I know you're worried about how he'll react but I have faith that Gohan will understand about what's going on. Our son is smart, a lot smarter than I was at his age mid you Chichi and has both his mother's understanding heart and brilliant mind to help him." Goku almost purred when he felt Chichi lick under his chin and run her dainty hands over his shoulders and chest. A rush went through Goku as his small wife decided to be a little bit playful in his arms.

"Our son also has his father's wonderful heart and adventurous spirit. And I hope that after this little talk with the guys, his father can share some of his adventurous spirit with me tonight after dinner," Chichi saw Goku literally shudder with pleasure at what Chichi had just suggested. Goku was more than willing to 'play' with his wife but first he had to take care of telling the guys the news. Of course the little tent in his pants was kinda hard to ignore and having his very tempting wife in his arms rubbing her body against his was making things harder than they were. Not to mention her scent was just so delicious at the moment. And being so caught up in what was their own little world, neither parents noticed a little boy walking in the room until he called out for both of them.

"Mommy, Daddy?" Goku and Chichi were brought out of their lust filled embrace when the sound of their son came to their ears. Goku was grateful that the little tent that was forming in his pants decided to disappear when it did since he wasn't ready to have 'that' conversation with his young son just yet.

"Gohan what's the matter? Did you have a bad dream sweetie?" Chichi disentangled herself from her husband to embrace her son who was still half asleep but was slowly waking up.

"No I didn't have a bad dream just a weird dream. It's hard to describe it since I've never had a dream like this one before." Gohan yawned a little before snuggling further into his mother's arms. Gohan might not admit it but he loved snuggling up in his mother's arms and listen to the strong steady beat of her heart beat. For some unknown reason he found it soothing.

"Well what was weird about your dream Gohan? What made this different than any other dream that you've had before." Chichi felt Goku bend down and embrace both her and their son in his arms as Gohan continued to tell them about his dream.

"Well for starters I was on another planet and the planet itself is strange for instead of blue skies I see red skies all around me and there's a woman holding me. But the thing is it's not mom that's holding me and I'm not frightened or anything. In fact I feel as though I've meet this woman before. That's the weirdest thing about my dream. How can I know someone if I've never met them before," Gohan heard both his parents chuckle before Gohan began to laugh as well.

"Well Gohan maybe your dream was showing you a past life of someone important to you. Or it could be that you'll meet with this person in the future who's to say. Dreams have a funny way of affecting our lives whether good or bad." Goku laughed as both his son and wife snuggled further into his strong embrace.

' _I don't know what the future may hold but I promise I'll never let either one of you go. Gohan both you and your mother mean the world to me. I might not fully understand what it truly means to be a Saiyan yet but I'll try my hardest to truly understand more about myself or what I am. And I promise to always be here for the both of you. And whatever monster Gero sends our way will never harm a hair on either of you. And Raditz I know you're out there plotting my end and I'll be ready to face you head on. I'll never let you destroy my family.'_ Goku closed his eyes and enjoyed holding his family in his arms all the while looking out the window, half expecting whatever monster that was slumbering in Gero's lab to try and come his way. Goku was going to protect his family from not just Gero but from his psycho brother who would be coming back for round two. Even though Goku wasn't looking forward to fighting his own family, Goku would do whatever it took to protect his loved ones. But for now Goku was happy and content to hold his two greatest treasures in his arms and enjoy his family before the guys showed up.

Meanwhile in space we find Bulma going over some complex equations as she tries to take her mind off the endless blackness of space. One of the advantages of her families tech was when they built something it was built beyond anyone's expectations. Bulma had only been in space for a few hours and already she was past Neptune. Even though she was making good time, Bulma couldn't help but feel a little lonely. The endless vast void of space made Bulma realize just how quiet and truly lonely this trip was going to be. Bulma knew her friends were going to yell at her the moment she called them but in truth she wasn't ready to talk to them just yet. In fact one of the reasons she came out to space was to get away from her friends. She loved them dearly but there were times when she felt smothered by them. After her parent's funeral it seemed that they were trying their best to stay close to her and protect her from anything and everything. While Bulma thought the gesture was endearing she did value her personal space and add into the fact she wanted to truly grieve for her parents her way. Bulma wanted to come to terms with not just her parents not being in her life but come to terms with everything in her life. The one thing Bulma truly wanted was to feel like her independent self once again. Bulma knew that this trip was going to change her forever and it would be for the better. Once she returned to Earth she was going to return with her head held high and a fully healed heart over flowing with love.

As the many stars zoomed past the window of the shuttle Bulma decided to look for something to read besides the math equations that were making her head hurt. If she was going to be stuck in the captain's chair she was going to find something to keep her interested. Once Bulma made it to her sleeping quarters she began to rummage through the many books on space, biology, and plant science Bulma stumbled upon a book that was familiar to her along with several others.

"Hey where did this book come from," Bulma picked up the little blue book and saw familiar handwriting that belonged to only one person.

"This…this is mom's diary and recipe books!" Bulma realized that while she was going through her parent's belongings and photo albums Bulma remembered her mother's diary that her mother would always write in. She's had this book since she first married her father and once her mother informed her that she really started to write in it when she found out that she was going to have her. It gave her mother a sense of comfort from what she told Bulma. And now here in Bulma's hands was the very book that her mother held dear. Bulma was almost afraid to open it but at the same time the infamous Brief curiosity got the better of her.

"To think that all of my mother's thoughts and personal feelings are inside this little book in my hands; makes me wonder what she truly thought of half of my father's inventions or whether or not she actually lost my cat Sprinkles when I was five." Bulma opened the cover of the blue and pink book and began to read.

As Bulma read her mother's diary she found that her mother was not as dumb as people thought she was. In fact to Bulma's surprise her mother was very intelligent but she hid behind a mask to fool her nosy parents and her snobby friends. In fact it was at a science symposium that was held at a private resort about the life and habits of big cats where she met her father. From what her mother wrote, her father was rather surprised to not only meet but find someone as beautiful as her mother at something that other's would probably fall asleep thanks to the speaker. However both her parents were rather fascinated by animals. Now Bulma understood her parent's weird love of the numerous animals that they owned and her father's love of the strange black cat that was always on his shoulder. The further Bulma read the more she began to understand her parent's relationship. Bulma's mother loved her father with everything she had and that love grew further when she found out that she was pregnant with her. Bulma found out that her mother was more than overjoyed when she found out she was having a baby, she was downright ecstatic. Heck her father was over the moon about the idea of being a father. In fact he didn't even care when her mother delivered her that Bulma came out a girl instead of a boy like the doctor said that she was. Her father was just happy that she was here and in one piece with all ten fingers and toes and her big beautiful blue eyes. Bulma's parents truly loved her with everything they had. As Bulma read further she discovered a small disc in between the pages of her mother's diary and wondered what this was. Bulma decided to view the disc later and continue reading.

The next few pages talked about how her mother had discovered many things about motherhood that her mother never taught her about. Like dealing with how much a child can eat when going through a growth spurt, or how to deal with a pre-teen going through puberty with the brain of both her father and her mother and was being taunted by her peers. Yes her mother learned a lot as she was raising Bulma and her mother was proud of Bulma when she graduated at such a young age. But Bulma discovered that her mother was sad that Bulma had little to no friends to talk to that were her own age. It was one of the downsides of being the daughter of the smartest and richest minds in the city; you don't truly know who your friend is truly and who's an enemy.

"Mom really did worry about me a lot as I was growing up. I just thought she was just trying to get in my business half the time but she truly loved me." As Bulma wiped away a stray tear from her eye, she then put down her mother's diary and picked up one of her mother's recipe books. Once Bulma had started to turn the pages she had discovered hundreds upon hundreds of recipes that her mother had written down of dishes that she made for not just Bulma but for her father over the years. It was one of her mother's dreams that Bulma would learn how to cook and it looked like her mother wanted her to know everything she knew.

"These are mom's recipes from breakfast to her desserts. I knew mom had hoped that I would take up her love of cooking but I was never as good of a cook as she was." Bulma remembered the first time she tried cooking with her mom and nearly ended up burning down the kitchen and hurting her mother in process. After almost hurting her mother, Bulma decided that her place was in the lab with her father if it meant keeping her mother out of harm's way. Of course that wasn't to say that she didn't help her mother decorate a cookie or cake here and there. But Bulma absolutely refused to cook if it meant hurting either of her parents.

"Mom really wanted me to learn how to cook, but how can I learn how to cook when she's not here anymore? Deep down I really wanted to learn how to cook but that fear of hurting her or anyone I care for just kinda stuck with me. But now I don't know if I can learn how to cook even if I want to learn." Bulma sighed and brought her legs up to rest her chin on them knocking over the disc in the process. It was the sound of the disc hitting the floor that brought Bulma out of her brooding to pick up the fallen disc and decided to see what was on it. Bulma still had a few days until she opened the envelope that her parents left her and found out what was inside there so watching this disc might prove interesting.

So Bulma grabbed the disc and made her way back to the captain's chair where she inserted the disc. As the disc began to load she noticed that after reading her mother's diary she began to feel a bit better. Like part of her was washed over with relief but Bulma knew that it would be a while before true closure came to her. As Bulma inserted the disc and waited for it to load up she noticed several planets that she didn't recognize and summed up that she was no longer in her part of the galaxy. Upon further notice Bulma saw a small greenish blue planet that resembled Earth and figured this would be the perfect place to land and collect samples. Also Bulma figured it would be nice to look at the sun and sky rather than the vast stars of space. However before Bulma could make preparations to land, the disc finished loading and a familiar voice was heard on the screen.

" _Hello Bulma my sweet little girl although if you're watching this than you're probably not a little girl any more. Chances are that at this very moment your father and I, are no longer among the world of the living and believe baby girl I know for a fact that you're not handling this very well. I also know that you're on your father's spaceship right this moment on your way to another planet to deal with your loneliness. Bulma sweetie you're never alone and you know how much your father and I love you. Our love for you will never end and both your father and I will always watch over you. Now if I know you and I do, you're probably waiting until the final day to open that envelope your father and I left for you. Well all I can say is that once you open that envelope you'll feel much better but you must be careful Bulma. While your father and I know you can take care of yourself, there are still dangers in this world that will hunt you down and seek to bring you to ruin. All I ask is that you stay safe and if you find someone special on your journey you hold them dear to you and ever let them go. You're going to find out that once you've found the one that is meant for you, your world will be filled with nothing but joy and new adventures. You father and I love you very much Bulma, please take care of yourself."_

The transmission ended and Bulma was in tears. Her parents were something else and to think that she, Bulma Briefs was the one treasure in the world if not universe they treasured more than anything. Bulma's mother truly knew her better than anyone in the world. And Bulma truly appreciated the times she shared with her mother. However Bulma's mind went back to the envelope that her mother had spoken of. It had slipped her mind for a moment but Bulma knew she had a couple more days until she could open it. But Bulma being the good girl that she was knew that whatever her parents had placed in that letter would still be there once she landed. So Bulma turned her mind to landing on the planet that was like home but new at the same time.

*One hour later*

After landing safely, Bulma discovered that the planet was lush with various plant life and teeming with an abundance of wild life. Bulma didn't know what to think of this planet. To her it reminded her of an enchanted land found in one of her books she read as a child. In fact some of the animals that Bulma saw would qualify as enchanted. It was like stepping into a fairy tale wonderland and Bulma was just itching to find out what plant life she could find. But that didn't mean that Bulma wasn't going to just rush in to this uncharted land without getting a bird's eye view of the land. Bulma was many things but stupid she was not, so Bulma pulled out a small orb like bot that she was working on for two years and had hoped to take on a trail run and now was as good a time as any to try it out.

"Well my little bot it looks like today will be the day I get to try you out. You'll be my eyes in the sky while I explore this land. Hopefully there will be tons of interesting plants to discover here." Bulma then pushed a button on the side of the mini-bot and it began to levitate in the air above her. After a few blips and bleeps the little bot was ready to go as was Bulma who had mounted her hover bike.

"Okay you hover above and give me the layout of the land and I'll follow you. Just send me info on anything that seems out of place or dangerous." Bulma received a response in blips and bleeps and was off on her adventure.

After about twenty minutes Bulma had discovered that the local wildlife was as wondrous as they were various. Bulma also noticed that the plant life truly amazed her. The simplest things like a flower were as tall as she was and the leaves of some flowers could be used as umbrellas which came in handy for her since she nabbed one for shade. The further Bulma and her bot traveled the more this planet's wonder amazed Bulma.

"This is unbelievable, and to think this is just the first planet. I wonder what the other planets out there have to offer," As Bulma let her eyes gaze upon the land the sound of rapid beeping was heard from above. Bulma cast her eyes towards the sky and saw her bot going crazy for some odd reason.

"Okay bot what's going on up there? You're only supposed to make that sound when something is wrong?" Bulma then noticed the bot began to descend to the ground with such speed that Bulma barely had time to react before she began her hot pursuit of her bot.

' _What could be wrong, if nothing is heading my way than what could it be?'_ Bulma was tracking her tricky bot as it zipped and dashed through the trees only to stop near a ravine.

Once Bulma caught up with the silly bot she saw for herself why her bot was going crazy. Apparently her bot had picked up the heat signature of another life form on this planet and apparently this person was in dire need of medical attention.

"Well good to know my bot works so well, now all I have to do is patch this person up." Bulma first knelt down to the body to check if this person was indeed alive. Bulma was able to breathe a sigh of relief as she felt a strong pulse coming from the body. Now came the hard part which was moving the body and putting it in the shade. As Bulma began to move said body she noticed the distinct shape of feminine curves and figured that this was a female. Of course back on Earth Bulma had seen many men with the curves of a woman so she decided until she turned this body over not to jump to conclusion. Another thing Bulma noticed about this body was the heavily muscular build it had. Since Bulma had been around heavily muscled fighters' majority of her life she could only guess that this person was either a fighter or a body builder. Once Bulma had the body turned over Bulma was graced with the sight of not just more feminine curse but other feminine anatomy as well. Bulma then noticed that this person had other physical traits that Bulma found amazing. This woman had what she believed to be large cat ears and what she believed to be wrapped around her waist a tail. Bulma also noticed that this person was about a few feet taller than her. If Bulma had to guess, this person was about six to seven feet tall.

Before Bulma could wonder more about this person a rustle from a bush behind her caught her attention. However before Bulma could draw her gun, the sound of a small 'mew' could be heard that reminded Bulma of a small newborn kitten. Bulma then crawled over to the bush and moved aside the massive leaves to discover the cutest creature she had ever laid her eyes on. This creature was small and almost look like it was the size of a small rabbit but it had the features of a cat. The creature's fur was a pretty shade of lavender even if it was covered in dirt with big pale blue eyes that were full of anxious fear. This creature's ears reminded Bulma of the ears on a baby deer and stood erect on its head alert to Bulma's presence and made a sound that Bulma figured was a hiss. Upon further investigation Bulma noticed a long and cute tail that was tangled in vines along with its paw. The poor creature was stuck and as it tried to free itself it alerted Bulma which only caused it to tangle itself further. To Bulma it was the most heartwarming thing she had ever seen in her life. Of course before she could admire this creature further she figured helping it would make it less hostile.

"Okay cutie, just promise me you won't spew any fluids at me and we'll be fine." Bulma slowly made her way to the creature whose hissing had increased in volume the closer Bulma got. Bulma also noticed its fur had begun to stand on end the more Bulma advanced it's way. Of course this didn't bother Bulma one bit. Neither did this creature biting her hand when Bulma had reached to untangle its captured paw and trapped tail. Once the creature was free it just sat there staring at Bulma who had gone back to tend to the fallen person. Bulma didn't notice that said creature had taken refuge in a nearby tree and just watched her with confused fascination.

While said creature was perched on the limb of a tree Bulma was tending to this fallen cat person. And while Bulma began to patch up this person she began to wonder what had happened to her. While Bulma pondered her questions, she failed to notice the setting sun or setting suns. For the first time Bulma noticed that this planet had two suns casting the sky in a beautiful hue of red, orange and pink. Bulma also noticed how fast it was getting dark and figured that getting out of the wide open spaces and back to her ship was a good idea right about now.

"Perhaps getting both of us back to my ship would be a good idea since I can further help you there. Also I can try and fix us something to eat. Now to just reset my hover scooter," Bulma then pressed a button on her scooter and in a flash it turned into a hover bed like craft which was just perfect for Bulma's fallen feline friend.

Once Bulma was back to her ship she went about the task of making her guest as comfortable as possible. However Bulma was not aware of the other guest on her ship that had followed her. Said cat creature that Bulma had saved from earlier had followed her and had made its way into her room where Bulma had gone to retrieve a book and a strange box with a weird mark on top. Of course said creature had taken to hiding under Bulma's bed until it was safe to come out.

* _Twenty minutes later_ *

As Bulma had finished patching up said creature she began to put the gauze and bandages back into her first-aid kit she began to think about a few things, one of those things was calling her friends and letting them know that she was okay. However there was the dreaded reaction of finding out she had left for space without their knowledge that scared Bulma. It made her a little nervous about what they had to say to her about her actions. That thought alone was making Bulma a little more than nervous about calling home. As Bulma began to ponder what to do next her stomach decided to make that decision for her and let her know that it desired nourishment and now. Bulma figured that eating would be the best right now before plunging into anything else. As Bulma made her way into the kitchen she remembered the numerous cookbooks that she had brought with her and figured that while she was on her journey she would take a shot at cooking and baking. But that would have to wait until morning for at the moment a nice sandwich was sounding good right about now. After Bulma made her sandwich she remembered her guest and figured that once she woke up she would be hungry as well so she made her a sandwich with a side of apple and grabbed two bottles of water, one for her and the other for her guest whenever she woke up. Once Bulma had placed the covered tray with food for her guest on the table next to her bed, she then made her way to the captain's chair to try and get comfortable. She had already placed a pillow and blanket on the side of the chair and figured she read some more before she fell asleep for the night. As Bulma began to eat her sandwich she heard the small sound like the mew of a new born kitten. Bulma turned in her chair and saw the shape of deer ears from under the consul of one of the computers on the deck. And then Bulma was graced with the sight of the small cat like creature that she had saved earlier hiding within the shadows looking more like a small rabbit than a cat at the moment.

Bulma could only stare in wonder at this little creature that had bitten her hand earlier as she saved the small creature from the bush it was trapped in. It was then that Bulma figured that this creature had probably taken an interest in her and probably followed her back to her ship. It didn't bother Bulma one bit since she thought it was the cutest thing in the world. Bulma also figured that the other reason this creature followed her was because it was hungry since it did look a little on the skinny side. Bulma decided to try and coax this creature out by offering it some of her food. So Bulma took part of her sandwich cut a piece of her apple picked a few grapes from her plate and placed all on the floor about five feet from her person. After that Bulma just sat back and waited to see if her gift would work. Slowly but surely Bulma was gifted with the sight of the small creature coming closer and closer towards her until said creature was nibbling on both the sandwich and fruit that was laid before it.

"So it's safe to say that you like fruit and small chucks of meat and judging by the bite you gave my hand earlier that's about fits your diet small creatures and whatever plants and vegetation you can find." Bulma continued to look at the small creature as it ate its small meal with gusto.

"Maybe I'll continue my research in the morning. And maybe I'll find more interesting creatures like you on this strange planet. For now I think I'll turn in for the night" Bulma then placed her empty plate next to her feet and picked up her pillow and blanket while reclining in the chair that she used as a makeshift bed. Once Bulma was comfortable she began to drift off to sleep until she felt something small curl up on her stomach. Bulma was graced with the sight of the creature she helped making itself comfortable to join her in slumber.

"I guess this means you trust me, well goodnight little one," Bulma then drifted off into a sweet peaceful slumber with her new furry friend thinking about the new adventure she was going to have tomorrow. Of course Bulma was well aware that tomorrow she would have to call her friends and the company to let them know that she was fine but that could wait until tomorrow.

Meanwhile in the bedroom where Bulma's unconscious guest was, it would seem that she was coming to.

"Ugh…just what the hell happened this time? And where am I for that matter?" Said cat woman tuned her ears to the sound of light snoring coming from the next room. But before she could find the source of the sound her cat eyes caught sight of the tray of food left for her on the table. As she began to reach for the tray she noticed the numerous bandages on her body and figured that this person must have helped her.

"Well looks like I owe this person my life but I guess I'll have to thank them in the morning. And no sense to let this food go to waste, I mean they went to the trouble of making this for me might as well enjoy it and this soft bed. In the morning I'll have my answers." And just like that said cat woman ate and slept thinking of what to ask her savior in the morning not knowing of the impact she would have on Bulma's life.

 _*To Be Continued*_


	4. Chapter 4

Time Heals (DBZ Fanfic) Chapter four

* * *

 _*Last time Goku made his way home to inform his wife and the others of not just of Bulma's departure but the looming danger that's coming their way in the form of Radditz and Dr. Gero. However, before Goku talks to the others, both he and his wife have a long overdue conversation that brings about certain fears in Chichi. Of course, those fears are quelled as Goku promises to protect both her and their son. Meanwhile in space Bulma stops on a planet that is like something you find in a fairy tale. However, before she can begin to gather plant and soil samples she helps two injured creatures. One is a small little cat like creature that followers her back to the ship while the other is a young warrior woman that has the features of a feline. Once back on the ship Bulma turns in for the night unaware that her unconscious guest has awakened and will be a bigger help to her than she ever realized._

The sound of chime like chirping could be heard from within the ship as the bright sun began to fill the room with a warm friendly glow. As the rays move further in the ship it catches the little cat creature that has taken to Bulma waking it instantly. Said creature than begins to stretch out its muscle as all cat creatures do and begins to groom itself with its tongue. Once finished said creature then looked around then up to see if it's new friend was awake. To the little creatures surprise it found Bulma still within the grips of slumber so like all cats it went to nuzzle Bulma awake.

As the creature began to nuzzle Bulma, the sound of soft giggles could be heard from under the blanket until said blue haired scientist was wide awake.

"Alright, alright you silly thing you, I'm up, I'm up," Bulma than yawned and started to stretch her muscles before she gathered her blanket and pillow, "Well since I'm up how about some breakfast then we can check to see if our other guest has awakened yet." Bulma then went to a spare storage space where she had gotten the spar blanket and pillow and deposited them there. Then Bulma went for the kitchen area of the ship and boy was she ever surprised to see what there.

Upon entering the kitchen Bulma was graced with the wonderful smell of fresh bread, eggs and sausage but what surprised Bulma the most was that her unconscious guest was not so unconscious now. No in fact her guest was wide awake and in the process of taking what appeared to be muffins out of the oven.

 _'How is she even walking after obtaining the injuries she had? She shouldn't even be up and about,'_ Bulma watched in silence as her guest continued to work, oblivious that she was watching her or so Bulma thought.

"You know it's rather rude to stare my dear." Said cat/woman spoke to Bulma without turning her direction and continued to stir whatever was in the pot.

"Nor is it wise to lurk in doorways my dear, it's might cause others to question your manners my dear," Said woman then turned to face Bulma and gave her a smile.

Bulma couldn't help but look at her guest as she walked slowly towards her. Bulma was many things but stupid she was not. While her guest may seem nice on the outside she could easily snap her in two at any given moment. Bulma's tender steps didn't go unnoticed by her rather tall guest and decides it's time to break the ice.

"You can stop with the cautious steps, if I wanted to kill you I would've done so while you were sleeping last night. I assure you that you are safe with me. By the way my name is Luna," Luna then extended her hand to shake Bulma's and was thrilled when Bulma grasped her hand.

"Bulma, Bulma Brief and sorry for the mistrust a few minutes ago, but last night I had nothing to worry about since you were fast asleep. But how are you even walking around? Your injuries should have prevented your mobility for two or three days." Bulma then scanned her eyes over the bandages of her guest and tentatively examined Luna's wounds.

"Sorry for the surprise, but I heal faster than most other creatures in the galaxy. My body can heal itself overnight depending on the injury that is."

"Okay but that brings up another question as to what happened to you to cause your injuries in the first place. What happened to you?" Before Bulma could receive her answer the sound a kettle whistle was heard and Bulma saw Luna move to answer its call.

"Perhaps we could discuss this over breakfast. I mean there's no point in letting this food go to waste and while we talk perhaps you can tell me how you came to be out here on this planet," Luna smiled at Bulma who just smiled back in her direction.

As Luna began to get a plate for Bulma she noticed a small creature hiding behind Bulma's leg and grabbed a smaller plate as well and filled it with food for the small creature. Once both woman had their plates and sat down Luna began to explain her story.

"Well now that we have our food, perhaps I should begin. As you know my name is Luna of the planet Panthera. If you haven't guessed by my giant cat ears my home planet is made up of creatures that have feline qualities sans the tail which only appears as a special trait on my planet. As you can guess I'm one of the lucky few who has a tail." Luna took a bite out of her muffin before she continued.

"Each person on my planet has the blood of either a warrior or a thinker roaming through their veins. But I'm kinda the exception to that since my father was a fighter and my mother was a thinker. Since there was no class to place me in along with many of my kind that have parents like mine, we are free to choose our paths. I wanted to prove that I could think and fight at the same time of course the thrill of studying new cultures was too much for me. However, by request of my Queen several others as well as myself were assigned to investigate a few planets that might hold plants and herbs that are in low supply this year thanks to the low rain we've been having." Luna took a sip of her coffee before she continued but Bulma decided to voice her worries about what happened to her from before.

"Okay so how do you explain how you ended up in the condition you were in before? You look like you ran into a bull or something." Bulma to a sip of her coffee as well and was surprised to hear Luna chuckle a bit before answering her.

"Actually, I did have a run in with a bull. But probably not the bull you know. The Bulls on this planet, surprisingly called Bull Beatles are mischievous bugs that are about three times the size of you and me. It's been a while since I have been to planet Parada, which is the planet we're on. And I had forgotten that those bugs love to rough house to show their dominance. So, you can guess that I got caught between three of those things and got thrown all over the place. By the way thanks for finding me when you did, had you'd not found me I probably would have slipped into a regenerative coma to heal my wounds and going into that while out in the open is not wise." Luna took a bite of her sausage and eggs before she continued once again.

"But now that you know a little about me perhaps you can tell me who you are and how you ended up out here. Most creatures tend to avoid this place let alone this planet. So why are you here," Luna was prepared to hear that Bulma was lost and looking for someone to help her get back on her way but what she heard next shocked Luna to the core.

"I'm actually here to fulfil my father's final wishes," Bulma didn't miss the look of shock on Luna's face but decided to continue to further explain.

"Perhaps I should go back a bit. About a week ago, I put both my mother and father to rest. It was my father's dream to travel the galaxy and collect plant and soil samples from countless planets in hopes of furthering any advancements in agriculture. My father also wanted to take my mother and I on a vacation in space to get away from Earth to explore the many wonders that this galaxy has to offer. But sadly, it wasn't meant to be. Somehow both my parents contracted the same disease which not even the doctors could figure out. So, in hopes to fulfill my father's wish I decided to explore the galaxy gathering as many samples as I can. My father had hoped that with his studies it would help many in the agricultural industry who need a soil that can withstand just about anything from heavy drought to mass infestation. If any of the soil samples that my father would have studied would be able to help farmers it would be a breakthrough in many countries that have difficulty farming." As Bulma was talking Luna couldn't help but notice how misty Bulma's eyes had become. As someone who has read the minds of many fighters in battle, Luna had learned how to read emotions and Luna could tell that Bulma was still in tremendous pain. The loss of Bulma's parents had left a void within her heart. Luna knew that this expedition that Bulma was taking was also a mean for her to grieve the loss of her parents. Luna was no stranger to grieving and figured she could help Bulma with the grieving process.

"Bulma I know that this is hard for you since your parents aren't here but I fear this trip is probably going to be harder if you take it alone. Bulma no one should travel these stars without someone to be by their side. There are planets out there that aren't on friendly terms with outsiders so I want to shoot an idea by you," Luna saw Bulma's misty eyes look up at her with confusion before Luna continued.

"Why don't I journey with you, I mean both you and I are looking for plant samples. Besides I'm pretty much stuck on this planet thanks to those Bull Beatles. My ship was near the heart of their nest and I doubt that I can get to it without being put in the same condition that you found me in oh and before I forget the bandages you wrapped me in will be coming off by this afternoon with my quick healing. So, what do you say?" Luna saw wonder and heavy thinking within Bulma's eyes and knew that Luna spoke the truth about traveling the stars alone. What if the next planet that Bulma landed on wasn't filled with friendly inhabitants or worse what if she ran into trouble. While the ship was stocked with many weapons for her defense but if there were people out there that were as strong as her friends on Earth than Bulma was truly in trouble.

"Well Luna you do make a valid point about traveling alone and there are somethings about this planet that I would love to know more about so traveling with you would be beneficial to both of us." Bulma smiled as she heard Luna chuckled at her admission. Apparently, Luna knew more about these skies than Bulma and heck Bulma didn't want to meet her maker just yet. As adventurous Bulma was being stupid was the one thing Bulma wasn't.

"Good to know and to show my thanks I help you collect some samples from this planet. As it turns out you landed in a neutral zone where those blasted Bull beetles won't come near for some reason. Also, the inhabitants of this planet are very friendly. That and the amount of plants in this area is vastly diverse. So how about we finish breakfast then head out," Luna saw Bulma nod her head before she began to eat her breakfast with gusto that is before Bulma felt a slight nudge on her leg from her small creature friend.

"Um...say Luna before anything else perhaps you can tell me about this little creature that's taking a liking to me since yesterday," Bulma then reached down and picked up the small creature to show Luna. To Bulma's surprise she saw Luna chuckle before Luna reached over to pet the small creature.

"So, you're the one that the council was looking for, and to think that my entire planet thought that your species was extinct on this planet." Luna then looked at Bulma to explain what she was talking about.

"Bulma the creature that you're holding is a special breed of animal that has special powers and judging by its size I'd say it's still what you would consider a young teen. These creatures are called Delphias and the reasons for that is the somewhat mystical powers these things possess. Years ago, they were hunted by a cruel tyrant that sought their powers to further his conquest of the galaxy." Luna reached for a small sausage link and fed it to the Delphia creature.

"But what happened to the rest of the Delphias then? Are they still on this planet or did that monster hunt down nearly the whole population?" Bulma felt the little Delphia snuggle further into Bulma's lap as it began to eat its breakfast.

"Don't worry Bulma the tyrant that I was talking about never got a chance to find them. As you can see these creatures are rather small and lean which makes it easy for them to hid in any small place you can think of. And like I said, their mystical powers make them a force to be recon with especially new mothers with young kits to protect. Besides it's possible that some of the Delphias used their powers to teleport themselves to different planets to allude that monster." Luna took a bite of her muffin and a swig of milk before speaking once again.

"As I was saying about the tyrant, he never got a chance to find them since he was killed by a race of fighters that he tried to betray. With his death, it ushered in a new era of peace that many hadn't felt in years. However, since he and his men tried to hunt these creatures it caused them all to go into hiding, so finding one like this is very rare since they don't trust many outsiders." Luna then took a sip of her coffee before turning back to Bulma who was enthralled with the small creature in her lap.

"So, if what your saying is true then there could be more of these creatures hiding all over the planet, thriving in secrecy. I mean just think about it, these wonderful creatures could have a whole society of their own hidden beneath our feet," Bulma was getting excited about the thought of finding a species that was long thought to be extinct.

"Calm yourself Bulma, I'm sure the thought of finding a new species is heating your blood but first you must get permission to search for them by the village chief." Luna didn't miss the confused look that appeared on Bulma's face.

"There's...a village near here? But how can you tell, there's so much vegetation on this planet that it's kinda hard to tell. I mean I didn't see any houses, fields or signs of life that weren't of the animal variety." Bulma heard Luna chuckle before she finished the rest of her coffee.

"Oh...there's a reason for that Bulma. The people of this planet are peace loving creatures that enjoy their solitude. The reason you didn't see any villages was because majority of the houses are hidden within the massive branches of the trees that surround us. And like the Delphias the people of this planet have mystical powers as well. It's possible that they know you're here and are just waiting to meet you. But like I said before the Bull Beetles are probably the only thing standing in the way." Luna then stood up and picked up her empty plates and Bulma followed suit causing the Delphia to hop off.

"What if I found a way to get us above the Bull Beetles, would the people of this planet have an audience with us?" Bulma stood next to Luna whose towering height made Bulma feel like she was looking up at a giant as they began to clean their dishes.

"Well it wouldn't be a problem if whatever you have in mind doesn't draw attention to those blasted beetles. Getting run over by those things once was more than enough for me to find out how strong those things are. But what did you have in mind Bulma?" Luna was wondering what was swirling around within Bulma's mind that could help them on their quest.

"Well I have a hover cruiser that can get us over the area that these Bull Beetles reside over and thanks to the new engine that was installed it won't make any noise. We'll be flying in silence while we look for the village you were talking about earlier." Bulma smiled as Luna just laughed as they put the now clean dishes away.

"Well when you put it that way, you get the cruiser and I'll be outside waiting for you." Luna then began to walk to the entrance of the ship while she waited for Bulma.

Meanwhile back on Earth Goku and the others gather around his house to discuss the events that will happen in three years' time. To say that the others were shocked was an understatement.

"Jeez Goku you'd think that we would catch a break from the occasional nut jobs trying to kill one of us but man this is too much." Yamcha pinched the bridge of his nose as he along with the others heard the information.

"I hate to say this but I have to agree with Yamcha on this one; your psycho brother we can handle but the nut job Gero? After all this time, I would have thought he'd died of old age." Tien looked at his former enemy from years long ago and saw the worried look in his eyes.

"I know Tien but my brother and Gero aside we have to prepare for just about anything. Gero has his sights set on killing not just me but Bulma as well. Keep in mind before Dr. Briefs passed he had ruined Gero life before I ruined his army. Since both he and his wife have passed that leaves only one person for him to take his revenge on." Goku saw the look of terror appear on his friends faces.

"Bulma," Puar floated closer to Gohan who was standing next to his mother as she listened to what was going on. Gohan knew that something had happened earlier while he was napping to cause his mother such fear. And that worried Gohan greatly since his mother seldom showed any fear at least not around him. Sure, he had seen his mother worry and fuss over him but never had Gohan seen his mother looking so afraid. Like someone was going to take something precious from her. Gohan knew that once this little meeting was over his father was going to have a nice long talk with him. Gohan knew that his father wanted to talk to him about his other half and why he was born with a tail and once the others left he was going to get his answers.

"So now we have to prepare for not just Gero's monsters but my brother coming back for revenge. I know you guys don't want to see this world go to ruin in three years." Goku looked around and saw his friends nod their heads in agreement.

"But Goku what about Bulma's Aunt and Uncle? Aren't you worried about what will happen if they find out about what this Trunks kid is up to? And another thing why does he want to help Bulma so bad in the first place? Okay I can understand seeing her Aunt and Uncle get what they deserve but why would he go through all this trouble to help a woman he doesn't know." Oolong and brought up a valid question that the others were wondering as well. Goku, Krillin and Piccolo left out certain information about Trunk's origin when they told the others the dark news and for a good reason. It's not that Goku didn't want to keep the information a secret from them it had more of to do with seeing to that the boy would be born in this timeline. Goku promised not to say a word to Bulma or the others about that bit of information.

"Well it would seem that in Trunks's timeline those two had done something horrid and the kid just wants to make sure that piece of history doesn't repeat itself in this timeline," Piccolo answered for Goku since Goku for the life of him couldn't think of anything to say.

"So, we train for the battles ahead of us and pray that it will be enough to stop them, sounds like an impossible mission but hey no one said that it would be easy." Tien knew that time was limited for them so he motioned for Chiaotzu to follow him.

"I take it you guys are off to train in the mountains?" Goku knew his former rival well and figured that Tien would be the first to take off and prepare for the fight. And he was right for Tien and Chiaotzu both took off into the sky to the far mountains to start their training.

"I'm going to head to the desert and train there for a few months." Yamcha than took to the skies as well and left the others.

"So Krillin what do you plan to do?" Goku turned to his longtime friend wondering what his plans were.

"Well for starters I'm going to head to Kami house and let Master Roshi know what's going on, then I'll start my training. I'll catch up with you guys in a few days." And like that Krillin flew off to his former master.

As Krillin was flying in the sky, his stomach decided that it was time to let itself beknown.

 _*GRUGHGHGGUGH!*_

"Well looks like I need to feed you before I faint," Krillin then began to look around the town that was a few hours away from his master's small island from the sky and spotted a small diner.

"Hmmm…. never knew there was a diner here before but then again I hardly spend that much time around here." Krillin than landed in an abandoned alley to not draw attention to himself and made his way to the diner.

Once inside Krillin was assaulted by the wonderful smell of roasted beef and fresh baked goods and decided then and there that this was going to be his new favorite spot to eat.

As Krillin made his way in to take his seat he noticed how the diner was just full of a warm atmosphere. It reminded Krillin of his grandmother's house and it made him feel comfortable. Once at his table he picked up his menu and began looking through the many dishes a different type of dish was walking his way.

"Are you ready to order sir?" the sound of an angel's voice reach Krillin's ears and as he turned to his head Krillin was graced with a wonderful site. A hot blonde blue eyed beauty was standing right before him and to be honest Krillin couldn't believe his luck or the fact that he had yet to utter a single word. His waitress however couldn't help but smile at the cute goofball. He was much but he was cute and at least he didn't ask to sit in his lap like the last twenty guys that have come to this diner.

"Can I get you something to drink sir?" Krillin was snapped out of his thoughts as he realized that his waitress was aware of his gawking and blushed a bright shade of pink.

"Um…um…um…just coffee ma-ma-ma'am," Krillin swore he heard her giggle as she left to get his coffee. The sound of her voice made Krillin's heart beat like crazy and all he could think about was getting her name.

About a few minutes later the same blonde dream came back with a cup, cream, sugar and a pot of hot coffee for the nervous man and smiled as he began to blush once again.

"Here's your coffee sir, now are you ready to order?"

"Umm…yes but first can I ask you what your name is?" Krillin swore his heart was about to burst with anxiety as he waited for her to answer.

"Well you're the first guy to come in here to ask for my name rather than if I can sit in their lap. And for that I thank you and my name is Juu."

As Bulma's adventure is starting many more are about to start as well but what awaits our friends in the coming three years and what does Gero really have planned for Bulma?

* _To Be Continued*_


	5. Chapter 5

Time Heals (Chapter Five)

* _Last time Bulma and Luna introduced themselves to each other and agreed to help the other out. During their talk Bulma found out the origins of the tiny little feline and its species. As Luna and Bulma began their journey, Goku and the others begin to train for the looming evil that is heading their way. As the guys begin their training, Krillin stops at a local diner and meets a woman that will change not just his life but his friends. Now Bulma and Luna are once again in the ship and heading to a new location._

* * *

The sound of an engine warming up could be heard from the vast valley where a small group of animals gathered to see the ship take off. Within the ship Bulma began to go over the numbers and processed their new coordinates for their trip to the next planet. As Bulma worked she felt the small purr of the tiny Delphia that took residence in her lap in a small ball while Bulma began the launch. Just a short distance, Luna was doing a system check to ensure that everything was all green to go. As Luna worked, Luna thought back to the last couple of days that both her and Bulma spent on this planet and with the peaceful inhabitants. Thankfully the villagers were more than happy to share their bountiful wealth of fresh fruit and vegetables as well as a few seedlings. That was a sheer surprise for Bulma but to Luna it was no shocker. The village leader as it turns out was a telepath and foresaw their arrival and knew of Bulma's reasons for being here. While Bulma was talking to some of the local woman about many of the fruit that she was given the chief pulled Luna to the side and gave her some vital information that will help her help Bulma on their journey.

' _I hope that chief was right about what I need to do to keep Bulma from crumbling'_ A strong beeping brought Luna out of her thoughts and turned to let Bulma know of their status.

"Everything is all green on this end Bulma, we are set for lift off." Luna smiled when she saw Bulma give her the thumbs up.

"Okay, just stay strapped in and hold on cause this is going to get a little shaky until we clear the atmosphere so until then just hold on to something." Bulma then turned back to her monitor and felt the pressure of takeoff hit her body as the ship began to rise.

And true to Bulma's word the force of takeoff was so intense it took Luna's breath away causing her to grip her chair like a vice. It took less than ten minutes for the ship to take to the skies and only two to break the atmosphere. Once the shaking stopped Luna felt the great weight on her chest lifted and she could breathe easily once again. The small Delphia that had taken shelter within Bulma's lap hopped off and decided to explore her new home. Once the ship was stable, Luna decided to explore the ship with Bulma as well.

"Okay now that we're in orbit and the ship is heading to our next location, perhaps I'll give you a tour of this ship." Bulma unbuckled herself and stood and saw Luna stand as well and walk her way.

"Thanks, then you can show me how you manage to store everything in this place. Plus, I'm a little curious to see what that machine was that you said could change gravity can really do. But first how about that tour before I decide to gut this place myself." Luna then followed Bulma to another level of the ship that Bulma called the leisure lounge.

"Well as you can guess by the name this area of the ship if for relaxing, but it's more like a living area since it has a kitchen on this level." Bulma than began to walk to another part of the ship with Luna close behind.

"This is where the bedrooms are located and as you can guess it can fit quiet a few people in here, around ten to twenty people."

"Impressive my friend," Luna than followed Bulma to a wide area that had nothing but a control panel in the center.

"And this is the Gravity Room chamber, or GR for short. This is the room that my father designed with my friends in mind. Since my friends tend to train in condition that are beyond normal standards, my father figured that one of them would train in this little room. The settings can go up to about two hundred times normal gravity with the max set to three hundred. Any higher and it would break the ship in two. But for now it's going unused, since I don't fight and I'm sure you don't wish to push your body's limits on different gravities just yet while we travel." Bulma saw Luna smile as she gazed at the room.

"True, once we land on the next planet I would like to test this baby out to see what it can do. Your father was a wonderful person and truly a marvel to create this. A mind such as his would be worshipped on my planet and several others. You were lucky to have him as a father Bulma, it was a shame he left before his time. There were so much he could have done for many on my planet and beyond, you were truly blessed Bulma." Luna turned just in time to see Bulma's tear stricken face and knew Bulma was indeed in pain.

"Hey, you know if you wish to talk Bulma, I'm right here. Keeping this bottled up isn't healthy and you know I'll always listen." Luna saw Bulma whip her eyes before tuning to her.

"Thanks, * _sniff_ * it's just hard to think about them right now and to be honest, I don't think I'll be ready to talk about them for a while just yet. But if I ever need someone to talk to, I'll find you." Bulma put on a small smile as she motioned for Luna to follow her out of the GR room.

Bulma then showed Luna the storage facility where the plant and soil samples were held, the weapons room which was armed to the teeth and finally to food storage area which also contained the water storage cylinders for the whole ship.

"And this is the storage for all the ship's food and water. As you can see these cylinders can hold up to three years' worth of water. The third cylinder that you see right there is mainly for the kitchen and the bathroom. The water that is used there flows in here and is purified into that square tank right there. This way the water is not wasted or mixed with the drinking water." Bulma turned to the sound of mewing and looked up to see the little Delphia had climbed to the top of one of the beams and made its way into this room.

"Well looks like we're not the only ones to take a tour of this ship. This little one gave herself a personal tour and got stuck in this room." Luna than reached up and motioned for the little Delphia to climb down. Once the little creature was down from the beam it bounced to Bulma and her shoulder.

"Well now that the tour is over, how about lunch, I'm sure you must be hungry since takeoff." Bulma was surprised to hear her own stomach protest from the lack of food and just laughed at herself along with Luna since her stomach began to protest as well.

"Food sounds like a wonderful idea, and while we fix our meals perhaps I can show you how to cook a hot meal." Luna saw little lights appear from behind Bulma's eyes as she offered to teach her how to cook.

"You would do that for me, but why?" Luna came to stand before Bulma and placed her hand on her shoulder and motioned her to follow her out of the storage facility being mindful of the small Delphia that resided on her shoulder.

"Well, my mother always said that everyone needs a way to relax and clear their mind. Most read, some walk two or three miles and then there are those who take up the arts as a means of relaxing. My brother, bless his loving soul bakes to take his mind off the ails of the world. My cousin uses art as a therapeutic means to relax. And as for myself, I cook to relax. I don't know why but I find it rather relaxing when I'm in the kitchen cooking a meal for either myself or my crew when I go on extensive mission. But I've also found that cooking can help a person understand their past a little more and tell them a little about themselves that they didn't know. Bulma I know you're still grieving for your parents and that pain won't go away for some time, but perhaps learning to cook from some of your mother's recipes will help you connect a little with her. I'm sure she wished to teach you herself when she was alive," Luna didn't miss the distant look in Bulma's eyes confirming that Luna was correct.

"My mother when she was alive did try to teach me to cook when I had the chance and what little lessons she did give me I'll hold close to my heart, but my mother had years of practice and was far better than I." Bulma felt the small Delphia nuzzle her check as if to comfort her in her sadden state.

"Well then I have my work cut out for me then. I promise you Bulma this is the therapy you need to help you heal. I mean what better way than to learn your mothers' many recipes. Just think of what you could learn by following her recipes. You might even find out a bit about your mother that not even you knew about." Luna smiled as she saw Bulma smile as well. Luna knew that Bulma was going to need a strong hand to help her and Luna planned to help Bulma as well as she could.

"Now that we have that sorted how about we head to the kitchen and start your first lesson, I'm feeling in the mood for some stew," Luna then proceeded to lead Bulma to the kitchen until Bulma stopped for just a moment.

"Bulma what's wrong?"

"Nothing, just I need to make a quick call first. I think my friends back home need to know that I'm safe. I'm sure they have a lot of yelling to do that I probably deserve for leaving the way I did anyway." Bulma then left to the control panel to contact her friends.

Meanwhile back on Earth, Goku and his friends were at this moment at Bulma's house checking on the animals this very moment.

"Man, I didn't know Bulma's parents were this big on animals, but sheesh! I've seen just about ten types of dinosaurs alone here." Tien and Chiaotzu had stopped by to visit and to see how the others were doing.

"I know Tien but you have to admit their love for animals was truly impressive." Goku, who was feeding one of the three camels that resided there along with several horses and goats.

"Well at least these guys are healthy and happy." Krillin was at this moment feeding one of the three Macaws that belonged to Mrs. Brief while Scratch was perched on his shoulder. It seemed that the cat had taken a liking to the fighting monk. It didn't bother Krillin one bit since he became rather fond of the small cat as well. Just as Krillin was about to feed one of the sparrows that was perched on a stand, Gohan came running in the room with a look of joyous shock on his face.

"Papa!" At the sound of his only son's voice Goku turned to see what was wrong but was surprised to see a smile on his face as his son all but leapt in his direction.

"Papa, its Bulma! Bulma is calling us right now!" At those words Goku and the others raced to receive their friends call and were overjoyed to see blue hair and eyes on the screen.

"BULMA!" Bulma was surprised to see her friends, sans Piccolo within her home, but Bulma was happy to see them none the less.

"Hey, guys glad to see your faces. Judging by the smiles you're happy to see me as well." Bulma was happy to see her friends laughing as if her jetting off to space didn't matter.

"Bulma you have no idea how happy we are to hear from you. True right now the guys and I want to yell at you for this stupid stunt you pulled but for now we're happy you're safe," Goku smiled as he saw his longtime friend smile as well. As happy as Goku was to see Bulma, he was cross with the idea that Gero was after her. Goku so much wanted to tell Bulma the truth, but Goku promised Trunks that he would keep quiet about what was to happen for the sake of Trunks being born in this timeline. Goku also knew that Bulma would worry is she knew about Radditz coming back to fight and try to find a way to help him, so with a heavy heart and a bold smile Goku chose to keep quiet.

"I know and I'm happy to see you guys are safe too. For some odd reason, I've had this weird feeling that something bad happened to you guys," Bulma noticed how pale Goku and Krillin got and knew something was wrong.

"Guys what happened?" Bulma knew that her friends wouldn't lie to her, try to slither around the truth yes, lie no. And Bulma was banking on one of them cracking any moment.

"Well the thing is, Krillin and I kinda ran into some weird creatures a few days ago that kinda tried to take a bite out of us but it was just a misunderstanding, honest." Both Goku and Krillin prayed that Bulma bought it since it wasn't a lie but it wasn't the whole truth either. However luck was on their side and both men gave a sigh of relief when they saw Bulma nod her head before talking to them.

"Well that makes sense, I guess. I mean you guys tend to attract trouble here and there. I can't say I'm surprised. Maybe that would explain the feeling I got a few days ago." Bulma then noticed Tien come back in with ChiChi who looked near tears and ready to chew the poor girl out.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?" And Bulma was right, ChiChi did in fact chew her out for her recklessness and scaring her half to death. This went on for about two hours and all the guys could do was laugh since for once they weren't on the receiving end of ChiChi's fury.

After ChiChi vented her fury upon Bulma and asked a million and one questions about her well-being, the one question that everyone was thinking came around.

"Where are you?" Bulma sighed and decided to let her friends know her current location. It was only fair since they were worried.

"Well now I'm on route to another planet. The previous planet that I was on, it was just beautiful. You would think you'd walked right into an enchanted forest on that planet. The trees were humongous and the animals were just out of this world," before Bulma could go any further in her story a small movement caught the eyes of her friends including Gohan who was curious as to what was sitting on Bulma's lap.

"Uh…Bulma what is that thing in your lap?" Goku looked on in worry fearing that his friend had picked up something that could end her.

"Yea, it kind looks like a…," To the surprise of Krillin and the others it was Gohan and his innocent curiosity that won out once the creature was in full view.

"IT'S A KITTEN!" Gohan was jumping for joy at the strange new creature that resembled a small kitten.

"Well you're half right Gohan, this small creature is actually called a Delphia. She resided on the previous planet that I was on and she's taken a liking to me. She's very sweet and apparently my new travel companion along with Luna." At the mention of her name, Luna decided to make herself known.

"So you guys are the reason why Bulma's been in this room for going on three hours now," Bulma turned in her chair and spotted Luna standing in the doorway. Goku and the others stared in awe as the female cat creature walked to Bulma.

"Luna, sorry about that. I just wanted to let my friends know how I was doing and,"

"And one of them wanted to chew you out for doing what you did without their knowledge. Don't worry about it, I was just getting worried when you didn't show up. Of course, after hearing the shouting I put two and two together. By the way one of you has a voice that can damage sensitive hearing like mine." Luna didn't miss the blush that appeared on ChiChi's face since she was the one doing all the screaming.

"Don't worry just next time, try to keep the screaming to a minimum. It's nice to meet all of you by the way. Bulma's told me nothing but good things about all of you, save for the little boy with a tail and Bulma you're going to have to explain that one to me once this conversation is over." Luna saw Bulma give a sheepish smile since she had a lot to answer for to not just her friends but to Luna as well. But how in the world to you tell your new friend about your long-time friend's hybrid son. Oh boy this was going to be a long night.

*To Be Continued*


End file.
